


Pieces of You

by Pyreite



Series: Shades of Ryder [1]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alien Culture, Alien Encounters, Aliens, Destiny, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, First Contact, First Impressions, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Resonance, Soulmates, Ushior, slowburn, vaasa-nari
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2018-10-14 18:58:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 46,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10542540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyreite/pseuds/Pyreite
Summary: Jaal gets to know Sara over the time he spends aboard the Tempest.  And he eventually falls in love with the person he least expected.  She came six hundred years and thousands of light years to find him.  It's strange how the first seeds of attraction are sown and how respect is hard won.A story of first impressions and the evolution of an unexpected relationship between two unlikely people.





	1. Arrival on Aya

**Author's Note:**

> Being written as ME:A is being played. XD.

Jaal isn’t sure what to make of Ryder when they first meet. She is small, skinny, soft-skinned, and seems harmless in her civvies. He finds her face, legs, hands and feet very odd. Her knees bend the wrong way and she has five fingers instead of three. Jaal wonders if she has the same number of toes inside those black shoes too.

His skin crawls with apprehension at the thought of her being on Aya. She is an alien and her ship, this Tempest, is full of more aliens. He’s relieved governor Paaran Shie alerted their security personnel on the ground. The city police are here enforce along with several squads of Resistance fighters. Everyone is armed with guns and steel, the tension running high, as Ryder scans the crowd.

She is remarkably calm for an alien being held at gunpoint. Jaal is as impressed by her composure as he is by her bravado. She is surrounded and vulnerable. Jaal is surprised she doesn’t fight or argue when the butt of a rifle is driven into her back. She stumbles, rights herself, and glares at the angara responsible. She doesn’t thank him when Jaal intervenes.

The bark of a sharp command in Shelesh makes the policeman step back but not back down.

The barrel of the rifle is once again aimed at Ryder’s back.

Jaal waves away Paaran Shie’s reassurances. She is a bureaucrat not a soldier. She administrates the bureaucracy on Aya. She doesn’t fight on the frontlines. She could never understand the seriousness of what Ryder’s accomplished. 

An alien, aboard an alien ship, managed to navigate the Scourge veiling Aya in secrecy.

If Ryder could do it. The Kett could too. The breach of their security, especially here, is worse than troubling. Jaal doesn’t want to see the streets he loves stained with the blood of his people.

Enough angara have died thanks to the Kett.

He’ll put down this Ryder himself if she’s come to declare war.

Jaal eyes her with suspicion as he descends the steps separating them. He is standing over her moments later. She is shorter than he first thought, standing no higher than his chin. She is slender as a reed too, as if she’s half-grown, and still trying to fill out her clothes. He thinks she’s an adult of her species though he can’t be sure.

She seems so young, so inexperienced, judging from the lack of lines on her face. Jaal is reminded of himself when he first joined the Resistance. He wonders if Ryder had sudden responsibility thrust upon her too. It would explain why she emerged from her ship alone without an escort. She’s unarmed too, though he doesn’t discount the fact that she could have a blade hidden somewhere on her person.

Even tame adhi still have fangs and know how to bite.

Jaal is blunt when he speaks to Ryder. There isn’t time for patience. He needs answers. Evfra won’t be mollified by Paaran Shie’s bureaucratic nonsense. Ryder is an intruder not a friend or an ally.

Whatever threat she represents, great and small, must be determined. 

Now.

“Aya is hidden, protected. What do you want?”

Jaal is surprised when Ryder bites her lip. She grimaces and looks ashamed of herself, like a child caught doing something she shouldn’t have. She looks him in the eye in an unexpected show of courage. Her answer is part apology, part explanation, though she doesn’t go into details. Jaal and all Aya can see her ship is still smoking.

“We didn’t plan to land here without permission, but when your ship’s on fire. You don’t have a lot of options. I didn’t want the Tempest to explode, so I ordered my pilot to bring her down. Your planet was the nearest safe harbour. I just wasn’t expecting it to be inhabited by people with lots of guns”.

Her smile is strained.

She knows she’s a bullet away from death.

“I apologise for clogging your airspace and for landing on your doorstep uninvited”.

Jaal appreciates her candour. Her attempt at humour is sour and more honest than he’d thought possible of an alien. He senses her unease even as he sees it written clear as day upon her face. She is as expressive as an angara in the way she frowns. She knows she is at their mercy.

“That was not a very good plan”, says Jaal. 

Ryder shrugs her shoulders.

“I know, but with all due respect. My ship was on fire”.

“I can see that”.

Ryder groans. “I guess I made the worst first impression. Ever”.

He nods.

Ryder pouts. “So, since I’m here. I should probably say something important”.

Jaal is suspicious now. 

“You are not in a position to ask anything of me”.

“It’s not really asking”, explains Ryder. “It’s more of a fact, fate if you will, since we’re in a first contact situation right now. I know you’re going do it anyway. It’s inevitable”.

Jaal hears several members of the city police mutter amidst themselves. He also hears the faint clicks of safeties being released on their weapons. The slightest hint of aggression is guaranteed to get Ryder killed. Jaal expects her to flinch. She doesn’t.

She stands perfectly still, with her hands raised to pacify them, and listens when Jaal asks.

“And what is this fact or fate you speak of?”

Ryder smirks at him.

She’s braver than he thought.

“You’re going to take me to your leader”.

Jaal snorts. This alien has a horrible sense of humour. She is right of course. She will be taken to Evfra. He is, after all, the leader of the Resistance.

“That is a terrible joke if an accurate one”.

Ryder nods, though she doesn’t apologise this time.

“I know. I watched way too many cheesy scifi vids as a kid. It seemed appropriate”.

“You are very odd”.

Ryder sighs. “Yeah. I get that a lot”.

Jaal eyes her one last time before he turns away. He strides up the stairs and leaves her in the charge of Paaran Shie. He is confident the city police and the Resistance will keep her under guard. She will have an armed escort through the streets of Aya. A word with the governor of their capital city is enough to get things moving.

“I’ll inform Evfra. He’ll be waiting for you in his office at the Resistance Headquarters. I’ll meet you there”.

Paaran doesn’t appreciate him overstepping his bounds. She glares at his back as he walks away. Jaal is a member of the Resistance not a politician. He knows that despite her annoyance with him, Paaran will comply. She respects Evfra. And she loves her city and their people. 

If Ryder must be taken to the Resistance HQ.

She will be.

Jaal overhears Paaran address the Pathfinder.

“I will accompany you through our city. Your crew will stay on your ship. Follow me”.

He is glad she is willing to be cooperative. Dealing with Ryder will be difficult enough without Paaran’s bruised ego getting in the way.

Jaal mulls over his brief encounter with the alien as he returns to Evfra. He already knows one thing Evfra will hate about her. His superior and friend doesn’t understand humour. Bad jokes, however true, won’t make him smile. Evfra forgot how to laugh when he lost his family.

Jaal wonders if Ryder will survive meeting him.

He hopes so.

He finds her interesting.


	2. Resistance HQ

Jaal returns to Evfra’s office and finds a friend standing outside. So Moraan’s debriefing is finished. Finally. Jaal had excused himself at Evfra’s insistence when Ryder’s ship had entered Aya’s atmosphere. He’d gone to investigate when that ship had landed without docking clearance.

He had seen how the suddenness of Ryder’s arrival had tested their readiness. Jaal is grateful Evfra insisted on running emergency drills. Their security personnel had responded like a well-oiled machine. Evfra had made certain they’d been prepared for the worst. Their people had learned the hard way that a Kett attack was possible anywhere in the galaxy. 

Ryder had proven Aya was vulnerable. Somehow the pilot of her ship had found the weakness in their defences. A safe passage through the Scourge. The revelation upset and impressed Jaal. Few angaran pilots were as skilled.

Even if Evfra hated her on-sight. 

The prowess of her pilot was to be respected.

Poor Moraan was unlikely to fare as well, not after his antics on Voeld.

“So”, said Jaal. “How mad was Evfra?”

Moraan’s cheeks, chin, and throat flushed a deep blue. He was embarrassed. Evfra had ordered his swift return to Aya. Evfra was unlike the Resistance captains in charge of their own squads. He often intervened, personally, when one of their own did something stupid.

Their people risked their lives each day. Death was expected, though it hurt to lose anyone. People died, but stealing a Kett rover and driving it through the wall of a Kett outpost was suicide. Moraan had been lucky to escape with his life. Two members of his squad hadn’t been so fortunate.

“He was furious”, replied Moraan. “We achieved our objective. We took out the processing centre, but too many were lost. Some of the prisoners we freed were recaptured by the Kett. The rest were injured, flesh-wounds mostly. Two of our people died covering their escape”.

Jaal sighed. “I know. I read your report”.

Moraan couldn’t quite meet his eye. “Stealing the rover was my idea. What happened is my fault. I can accept that. Only”.

Jaal heard the shame in his voice.

“Only what?”

Moraan hung his head.

“I stole the rover on a dare”.

Jaal is saddened by the news. “Oh, Moraan”. He hadn’t heard this part of his friend’s debrief. Evfra had sent him away too soon. “Of all the foolish things to do”.

Moraan was young and eager to please. He was also one of the newest recruits assigned to the Resistance base on Voeld. His Commanding Officer, Anjik Do Zeel, was a distinguished veteran. She had defended Moraan’s decision, but condemned his actions. Losing two recruits with double his experience hadn’t crippled their operations. 

But it had put a stop to her being able to train new pilots.

Now Voeld had a hangar full of shuttles and no one to fly them. 

Her handful of cadets, all half-trained, were a green as Moraan.

“Dolan, Kijah, and Udaan challenged me to do it. And I followed through because they called me a coward when I refused”, admitted Moraan. “It was a stupid thing to do. I tried apologising to Commander Do Zeel, but my words were empty. I knew the damage was done when she said I was being transferred to Aya”.

Jaal listened patiently.

“I didn’t realise they had been transferred too until my shuttle docked”. Moraan grimaced. “I was terrified when Evfra called me into his office. I thought he was going to throw me out of the Resistance”.

“Is he?” asked Jaal.

“No”, replied Moraan. “Evfra said that if I could drive a Kett rover than I could pilot an angaran shuttle. The controls are similar in design. He’s reassigned me to the spaceport here on Aya. He thinks I have the aptitude to be a good pilot”.

Jaal was glad Evfra had been lenient. They needed trained pilots. Badly. Moraan had been given a second chance. If he’d been assigned to Aya than Evfra could keep an eye on him. The leader of the Resistance was a pragmatic man.

“And your friends?”

Moraan was quick to correct him. “They’re not my friends”.

“Squadmates then”, suggested Jaal. The word still made Moraan bristle like an angry ahdi. He had little love for them. Jaal was unsurprised. Dolan Kass, Kijah Lorne, and Udaan Medaav were known troublemakers.

They’d been reassigned three times in the past six months.

Evfra was tired of dealing with them.

Moraan scowled. “Demotion and reassignment. Evfra didn’t tell me where he sent Dolan and Udaan. He did say they’d been separated to keep them out of trouble”.

“And Kijah?”

Moraan’s eyes narrowed. “Reassigned to the spaceport too. She’ll be training as an engineer. Evfra said if she could crash a Kett rover. She would learn to repair our own vehicles. I’m glad she won’t be training to be a pilot”.

“Moraan”, chided Jaal. “She is a member of the Resistance too”.

“That doesn’t excuse what she said to me”, argued Moraan. “I know I shouldn’t have gotten angry. I know I shouldn’t have done what I did. I appreciate that Evfra’s given me a second chance. I won’t waste it Jaal, but I wish he’d punished her more severely”.

“I know”, agreed Jaal. “Kijah has always been manipulative. It would have been easy for her to convince Dolan and Udaan to do her dirty work. Regardless, Moraan. Even Kijah has her uses”.

“She’s a bully!”

“And what happened on Voeld is as much her fault as yours”.

Moraan exhaled a shaky breath. His mouth was a grim line and his fingers tightened upon the weapon in his hands. He turned on his heel and walked away. Jaal saw the tension in his shoulders. He was angry.

“People died for you, Moraan. Good people”, called Jaal. “The next time your anger gets the best of you. It could be worse. If you don’t learn from this experience than you’re no better than she is”.

Moraan stopped walking. He glanced over his shoulder when the doors to the Resistance HQ slid open. Ryder crossed the threshold just as Moraan opened his mouth. Jaal kept an eye on her as he listened to Moraan. He was young and hot-blooded, but meeting Evfra had forced him to face an uncomfortable truth.

He wasn’t ready for the frontlines.

“Don’t get kicked out, Moraan”, cautioned Jaal. “Not because of Kijah”.

“But you’re telling me to be weak? To forget what happened?”

“No”, soothed Jaal as he closed the distance between them. He laid a hand on Moraan’s shoulder. His friend was young and had much to learn. Jaal was glad to provide what guidance he could. Evfra had done the same for him in his youth too.

“I’m telling you to be strong through your cunning and heart. You are smarter than her, Moraan. I hope you are wiser now too. Do not forget that we are all on the same side. We are fighting the same enemy”.

Moraan sighed. “I know”.

Jaal patted his shoulder. “You’ll be okay?”

A silent nod and he took two steps before Jaal caught him out.

“Hey”.

Moraan turned around with great reluctance. He pouted like an unhappy child when Jaal held out a hand. A twitch of his fingers was enough to make Moraan hand it back. The rifle was large and green with a long barrel. It was Kett in design, but had been heavily modified.

Moraan returned the rifle to its rightful owner with a wistful look.

“It really is the best one in the Resistance”.

“I know”, said Jaal. 

Moraan’s smile was soft and sad. He nodded in farewell. He turned away, intent on leaving the Resistance Headquarters, when he saw an alien. It was short, smooth-skinned, and had a flat face. The thick fur sprouting from its head was the strangest thing Moraan had ever seen.

He couldn't help but stare when it walked passed him. It's legs and feet were odd. And those many-fingered hands reminded him of a spit-bug's many legs. Whatever it was. It was ugly.

Jaal watched Moraan leave with a heavy heart. He hoped his friend had learned from his experience with Kijah. Evfra wouldn’t be lenient a second time. Their forces were stretched thin across the galaxy. They couldn’t afford to lose anyone else.

Jaal knew Evfra would cut Moraan loose if he was reckless again. For now he had a place in the Resistance. Jaal is grateful for that much. He had little time to contemplate Moraan’s fate when Ryder stopped before him. Her gaze is expectant, but her manner is cautious.

She is studying him and her surroundings with quick furtive glances left and right. She leaves nothing to chance. Jaal notices how her eyes linger on the door behind him and the long barrel of the rifle in his hands. He can tell she isn’t sure if he’s going to use it. At this range, the kill would be instantaneous, and rather messy.

Jaal wonders, for a fleeting moment, if her blood is angaran blue. He has his doubts from the colour of her skin. She is more pink than purple and isn’t blue at all except for the colour of her jacket. The shape of her body is odd too. She seems to have some kind of growth on her chest, though he can’t tell if it’s fleshy or bony.

She takes a step forward. The subtle bounce of her cleavage is answer enough. The growth is fleshy. How interesting. Jaal wants to question her about it, but thinks better of it.

Evfra isn’t the most patient man.

His curiosity will have to be sated another time. 

Jaal addresses Ryder with his usual frankness. He makes certain to carry the rifle in his right hand as they converse. It wouldn’t do for her to get ideas. Ryder is not in a position to make threats, not here. She isn’t a prisoner, but she’s not an ally either. Evfra will determine what she is and what threat she poses to Aya.

For now Jaal will keep an eye on her.

“Our experience with the Kett”, he says. “Makes us naturally distrustful of all aliens”.

He doesn’t state the obvious – ‘including you’.

Ryder seems to feel it though, judging from the expression on her face.

Jaal expects denial and dismissal at his silent accusation. He is suspicious of Ryder’s composure. Her reply is honest. He can sense the truth in her words, though he is sceptical about her intentions. Ryder doesn’t explain how or why, or when. 

She implies that she and her people have encountered the same enemy.

Their enemy.

“We’ve had our own run-ins with the Kett”.

Jaal accepts the news with calm solemnity.

No one could move through their galaxy without tripping over the Kett.

They’re everywhere.

“Then you really do understand”.

Jaal is quick to fill Ryder in on his people’s history with the Kett. Their war started eighty years ago, decades before his birth, and is all he knows. He grew up in the shadow of the Archon, watching his people being slaughtered in droves. He doesn’t know how many have been kidnapped since. He hates to think what became of them.

The Kett, he is certain, are monsters.

It is difficult to stop his voice from shaking with fury.

“Now the Kett mercilessly abduct angara. Often we never see our people again”.

Jaal is surprised when Ryder’s eyes widen. She gapes at him and for the first time he sees genuine shock on her face. Of all the reactions to have. Jaal doesn’t expect that sudden burst of outrage. He sees the abrupt change in her expression from the furrowing of her brows to the tightening of her jaw.

It perturbs him to think that she does understand.

He is quick to change the subject.

Talking about the Kett always upsets him.

“Come this way”, instructs Jaal. “Evfra is waiting”.

Ryder isn’t so easily distracted.

“Wait”, she insists. “The Kett kidnap you – steal your people?”

Jaal nods. “And the Resistance fights them everyday with everything we can”.

Ryder pries for more information.

“Is it attrition?” she asks. “What are they after?”

Jaal ends the discussion with a gruff statement.

“You should save your questions for Evfra”.

Ryder frowns, but holds her tongue. She isn’t satisfied, not by a long-shot, but for now she seems to accept his silence. 

Jaal regrets telling her that much. He knows Evfra will scold him afterwards. He has never been very good at hiding how he feels about the Kett. Jaal hates them. Evfra does too.

He does wonder if Ryder will feel the same in time.

For now she is as green and inexperienced as Moraan.

She has yet to see how cruel the Kett can be.


	3. Meeting Evfra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draws heavily on ME Wikia and the ME:A in-game codex.
> 
> Slightly newer version posted. Has minor alterations, some editing, and some additions.

Jaal leads Ryder through Resistance HQ to an area full of screens and workstations. He is glad she has little understanding of their written language. Ryder may be able to speak Shelesh thanks to her translator, but that doesn’t mean she can read it. There is far too much information on several screens that cover an entire wall, floor to ceiling. Jaal sees one of their own shut down a console when Ryder ventures too close.

A screen goes black.

The operative, an engineer specialising in communications, watches her with suspicion.

Ryder returns his scrutiny with an exasperated roll of her eyes.

“I can’t read your written language".

The engineer locks several more consoles despite Ryder’s admission.

It’s a blunt demonstration of the lack of trust for the alien in their midst.

It makes Ryder bristle. Jaal sees how her shoulders tense and her eyes narrow. She doesn’t like being treated like an outsider. Jaal is impressed she doesn’t complain when more of their people follow the engineer’s example. More screens go black and more consoles are locked before she can look elsewhere.

“You weren’t exaggerating”, says Ryder. “Your people really don’t like aliens”.

Jaal doesn’t need to confirm her statement. There is a palpable undercurrent of tension in the room. He sees how his people react to Ryder as she passes them by. Some scowl, others glare, and a few have itchy fingers. He intervenes when a technician almost hits the emergency alarm to sound the klaxon.

“Ryder is expected”, explains Jaal. “Evfra knows she’s here”.

“Are you sure?” asks the tech, his voice full of anxiety. “She’s an alien!”

Jaal is bewildered when Ryder speaks up. Her tone is gentle and her motions are slow and deliberate as she raises her hands. The warding gesture, meant to reassure him, seems to work. Ryder backs away. She apologises for upsetting the tech. She promises that she hasn’t come to cause trouble.

“Take it easy. I know it’s a shock to see me in your space, but you need to keep a level head. Stay calm and I promise, I’ll be on my best behaviour. I was told to come here by your governor and escorted through the streets of your city by an armed guard. After that introduction to angaran society. I believe the leader of your Resistance has things under control”.

Ryder sighs.

“I’m sorry if my presence is making things difficult for you. That’s not my intention. I want to make sure my ship and crew are safe. It’s my responsibility as their Pathfinder to make first contact with a new species. It’s why I’m here and they’re still aboard the Tempest”.

The tech stares at Ryder. Jaal can see his astonishment. His large cat-like eyes are wide and luminous. His mouth is a gaping chasm in his face. He doesn’t know what to make of Ryder’s compassion.

A second apology follows the first.

“I’m sorry”.

The tech continues to gawk at Ryder.

She moves too close and bumps into Jaal. Her hip collides with the vambrace on his wrist. Ryder grumbles a soft expletive that doesn’t translate well. She grimaces and rubs her hip. She looks up when Jaal clears his throat.

He’s stopped walking.

So has she.

Ryder’s gaze comes to rest on Jaal’s face.

Her skin flushes a charming shade of pink.

“Sorry!” she blurts. “I didn’t mean to invade your personal space!”

She gestures to the now smiling tech. “I was trying to reassure him! Your leader won’t take that the wrong way right? Shit! Of course he could, what the hell was I thinking?”

Ryder panics at Jaal’s silence.

“I’m an alien commiserating with his people!”

Ryder groans. “Scott always said my heart was too soft”. She takes several deep breaths, and counts to five. “One, two, three, four, five”. Ryder calms on the fifth exhale.

“Take a chill-pill, Ryder”, she tells herself. “You can do this”.

The moment is fraught with tension.

Seconds pass until the tech breaks the ice.

He laughs.

The corners of Jaal’s mouth twitch as he tries not to smile.

Ryder blushes again, and bows her head. “Um, sorry about that. I get a little antsy when I get nervous”. She glances at Jaal out the corner of her eye. She can’t quite look at him after that little fit of hysteria. “I’m okay now, though”.

“Are you sure?” asks Jaal. He’s sure he’s not teasing her, because they’re not friends. He’s making conversation. “Perhaps you need more time to compose yourself”. He is amused when Ryder huffs.

“No thanks. I’m good”.

She paints a picture of herself as strong and implacable. A warrior afraid of nothing. Jaal sees through the facade when her eyes glint and her face softens. There’s a hint of toughness there and something else too. Jaal recognises it immediately.

Ryder is raw, open, and vulnerable as she takes another fortifying breath.

She isn’t an ugly flat-faced alien in that moment. Jaal has seen that sweet wistful expression upon another’s face. Ryder’s skin isn’t blue tinged with pinks and purples. She doesn’t have those large angaran blue eyes. Jaal remembers an old friend and lover, looking at him with that same pensiveness.

His breath catches in his throat. He has trouble separating the image of Ryder, looking so sad, from the one in his memory.

Allia had been beautiful too.

Jaal shakes off the nostalgia with difficulty. He is perturbed that he might find Ryder attractive. She is an alien and he’s not sure if she’s male or female. He thinks she falls into the feminine category from the sound of her voice. It’s not shrill, there’s an unexpected deepness, but it’s not masculine.

Jaal is reluctant to admit he finds its soothing. Ryder speaks with an odd accent that’s non-angaran. There are stresses on her syllables and strange enunciations of her vowels. Jaal can decipher most of her speech thanks to his translator implant. Although some of what she says is unintelligible.

Jaal is startled when a hand settles on his arm.

He looks down to find Ryder watching him.

“Jaal”, she calls. “Are you all right?”

He shrugs off her concern. He doesn’t like her touching him. “I’m fine”.

“You sure?” asks Ryder. Jaal is surprised when she isn’t offended by his gruffness. She takes his reaction in stride and removes her hand from his person. She doesn’t apologise, but she does make him aware of what she thinks. Jaal wonders if he really is that transparent.

“You seem troubled. Am I making you uncomfortable?”

The answer is a resounding – Yes – though Jaal will never say so aloud.

It would be an admission of weakness. He refuses to give Ryder leverage over him. He has learned the hard way that people can be cruel as well as kind. Jaal prefers to keep Ryder at a distance. She is an alien and should be regarded with suspicion until she proves she can be trusted.

“No”, he lies. “But perhaps you should refrain from engaging in physical contact with other angara. It could be seen as an attack. My people don’t know you well, Ryder. And neither do I. Be respectful of our boundaries before you overstep them”.

Ryder backs away from him too. “I hear you loud and clear. All right, big guy. I’ll keep my distance. I hope you’re less prickly with your friends”.

Jaal is annoyed by her attention. He doesn’t like conversing with her when they’re surrounded by members of the Resistance. Secrets are hard to keep inside their HQ. Eyes and ears are everywhere. Few things stay private around Evfra.

Jaal glowers at the tech Ryder spoke too. He had stopped laughing, the humour gone cold. The technician takes the hint when Jaal’s eyes narrow. He makes himself scarce. Jaal isn’t satisfied until he returns to his workstation. He looks around the room and spies several of their operatives still gaping.

They resume their tasks when Evfra barks.

“Get back to work! We have communications to monitor! Would you have our people in the field be deaf as well as blind?”

No one dares to argue.

They know how short-tempered Evfra can be.

“And you two”, he growls.

Jaal tenses when Evfra finds them standing in front of the monitoring stations. Their leader brushes passed several operatives. He dismisses them with a wave of his hand. They’re quick to occupy themselves with whatever needs doing. Evfra scowls when he sees Ryder in Jaal’s company.

Jaal doesn’t like the way he glances between them.

He knows that look.

He tries to reclaim some of his dignity.

“Evfra, this is one of the aliens from the Milky Way – a Pathfinder”.

Evfra slices through his anxiety with the finesse of a hunter gutting a carcass.

He never minced words.

“A Pathfinder or a Matefinder? I don’t care who you bed, Jaal. Just don’t do it here. I will not have your personal relations with the alien interfering in our operations”.

Ryder is too surprised to be angry.

“What?”

Evfra snorts. “So it’s true. You can understand our language. Interesting”.

Jaal’s cheeks, chin, and throat flush a deep royal blue. He is glad Ryder doesn’t know much about angaran biology. She won’t realise he’s as embarrassed as Moraan was. He rolls his shoulders and gazes steadily at Evfra. His superior can be an ass sometimes.

“We were not having relations”, corrects Jaal. “I’ve brought Ryder here as you requested”.

Evfra’s nostrils flare and his jaw tightens. He isn’t impressed. “She was fraternising with my staff, which includes you, Jaal. You know better than to flirt here. Our work is too important for distractions, even if she is prettier than the ass-end of a Fiend”.

Jaal hopes that didn’t translate, but Ryder is too sharp and too observant. She hears everything Evfra says and she doesn’t like a word of it. Jaal expects an argument. He braces himself for the backlash, for Ryder to lose her cool, and let loose like a Kett cannonade. He’s appalled when she smiles and gives him an appraising glance instead.

Up and down she eyes him as if he were a prized purebred ahdi.

“Well, Jaal is handsome. It’s been hard trying to keep my hands off him. In a good way of course, not that he’s seemed to mind. But as much as I appreciate the eye-candy, I’d rather focus on what’s important too”.

Ryder pauses for a moment.

Her smile turns grim.

“Like the safety of my ship and my crew”.

Jaal can’t believe her audacity. She is bolder than he’d expected. Ryder stares down Evfra. She seemed young and inexperienced, though Jaal knows appearances can be deceiving. He wonders if he’s underestimated her again.

Ryder seems to knows what to say and do at the right time. It’s unnerving. Evfra is their leader and Ryder, Jaal realises, must be a leader among her own people. They’re evenly matched, though she doesn’t have the advantage of being on home ground. Ryder is the alien here, though it doesn’t slow her down.

Jaal swallows with sudden nervousness when she and Evfra eye each other. Ryder is as quick to assess Evfra as he does her. She steps away from Jaal and circles to her left. Evfra follows suit and moves to his right. Ryder exhales a shaky breath.

“That scar. It is from the Kett?”

Evfra scrutinises her face. She has her own share of scars too. Her skin bears a nasty jagged slash too crooked to be a cut. It’s deep, red, and puckered. A bad burn that’s left a permanent mark on her cheek.

Evfra nods as Ryder studies him.

“Yes. A Carfalon blade, a type of sword”. He gestures to her scar. “And that burn?”

Ryder’s answer is honest. “Omniblade, a type of weapon flash-forged by an omnitool’s mini-fabricator”.

Evfra frowns. “Sounds painful. Looks worse”.

“I was lucky. It was a glancing blow. Stung like shit, but missed the mark. I turned my head just in time and got a pretty new scar instead of a punctured skull. I suspect I, got off easy compared to you”.

Jaal sucks in a breath when Evfra’s lips twitch. He has never seen his friend smile. For the first time in years there is a glint of more than grim determination in his eyes. Jaal doesn’t see a flash of white teeth or the corners of Evfra’s mouth curve upward. He sees something else though, it is a subtle change.

If he didn’t know Evfra as well as he does, Jaal doubts he would have noticed.

Evfra looks at Ryder in a certain way. He inclines his head as if in understanding. His attention is first focused on the burn marring her cheek and then the rest of her face. He seems to take in the shape of her nose, cheeks, and chin, though his gaze lingers longest upon the bow of her lowerlip. Jaal wonders what he’s thinking when Ryder arches an eyebrow.

“You’ve been to hell and back”, she deduces. “I can tell that much from looking at you. Scars and all. I’d say an internment camp, but I doubt the Kett take prisoners of war. Which means whatever you’ve been through is worse than I can imagine”.

Evfra nods. “Perceptive. And all that with one look?”

“You remind me of him”, counters Ryder.

“Of who?”

She sighs. “My father. He was sad, lost, and lonely too – even with a wife and two kids. Some wounds heal, but others scar. Whatever you lost scarred you worse than that Carfalon sword”.

Evfra doesn’t give her details about his past, but he does ask her a question.

“What did your father lose?”

Jaal’s heart tightens in sympathy.

“My mom”, replies Ryder. “She died. Dad was never the same. He was an elite soldier in my people’s military. An N7, special forces, best of the best”.

Jaal’s heart is in his throat when Evfra pries.

“What happened to him?”

Ryder is quiet as she contemplates answering Evfra. Jaal thinks she might refuse as the silence stretches on and on. Finally she comes to a decision. Her shoulders sag with a weariness that speaks of carrying a heavy burden. Jaal is astonished by her candour.

Ryder is more honest and open than most angara.

“My father died saving my life”.

Evfra nods in approval. “As he should have”. He regards Ryder again in that same strange way. Jaal thinks he might be passing judgement on the only alien in the room. Evfra is hard-hearted and distant from those around him.

Although Jaal counts him a friend, he knows Evfra won’t allow himself to feel the same way. It hurts less to lose people when you only know their names and faces. Personal relationships complicate matters. Evfra has always been a loner by choice. Jaal’s perception of him changes when he says something profound.

“A father should never have to bury his own children”.

It reveals everything and nothing about him.

And in response, Ryder does something no angara has ever dared to do. Her courage amazes Jaal as does her boldness. He tries to grab her arm when she takes a step forward. She feints left with a heartbroken smile. A nimble pivot on the ball of her foot and she darts to the table beside Evfra.

Jaal is left standing alone and bewildered. He didn’t realise Ryder would be so quick on her feet. He fears the worst when she pauses before Evfra. He thinks she might reach for a blade hidden in the seams of her jacket. Jaal gapes, eyes wide and incredulous, when Ryder does the unthinkable.

She reaches for Evfra.

Jaal is dumbstruck when her fingers close over Evfra’s hand. She smiles in sympathy and understanding. She gives Evfra’s knuckles a gentle squeeze before letting go. That simple gesture of compassion is profound too. It reveals everything about who Ryder is.

She is caring in a way that startles Jaal. He had thought she was just like the Kett when they’d first met. Now he knows his first impression was wrong. She is nothing like the Archon. She is warm, kind, and compassionate.

The Archon is heartless.

Jaal can’t believe what he’s hearing when Ryder nods.

“Yeah”, she says. “You remind me of my dad”. She smiles again, but this time there is light in her eyes. She listens when Evfra accuses her of being impertinent. She accepts his judgement with more dignity than Jaal expected.

“An odd compliment, Pathfinder. It wins you nothing”.

“Must have won me something”, she quips. “You’re still talking to me. And you haven’t shot me. Where I come from. That’s a win”.

“You’re a long way from home”, says Evfra. A heartbeat later the pleasantries are over. He is all business when he addresses her again. “It was an aggressive move coming to Aya”.

Ryder seems to enjoy needling him.

“My people from the Milky Way were bold enough to come to Andromeda. I need to be at least that bold to save them”.

Evfra considers her words. Jaal notices his statements don’t concern Aya specifically. Evfra doesn’t name their homeworld. He is more generic, referring to the entire Heleus cluster than one planet in a vast galaxy.

“So, Pathfinder. Never mind how you even found us. Why are you here?”

Jaal watches the verbal sparring with awe. It goes back and forth, again and again. Ryder matches Evfra word for word. Her quick wits remind Jaal of a soldier reloading a gun. She never runs out of ammunition as she battles Evfra in this game of wills.

The beat of the conversation changes when Ryder mentions the vault on Eos. It isn’t the establishment of a colony there that upsets Evfra. It’s her knowledge of a similar place on Aya that makes him turn away in frustration. Jaal hears Evfra’s weary sigh. He can also hear the grinding of his teeth.

His gut feeling had been right.

Evfra hates Ryder, though Jaal suspects it isn’t because she’s an alien. Evfra has never allowed his own opinions to be coloured by the perceptions of others. He kept his own counsel when it came to personal matters. Jaal thinks the reason for Evfra’s dislike is more mundane. If Ryder knows about the vault on Aya than she has connections he doesn’t.

No angara would have revealed the existence of the vault to an alien.

So Ryder had to have found out another way.

“How do you know this?” demands Evfra.

Ryder is forthcoming. “I can interface with Remnant technology. While inside the vault on Eos, I accessed a map of the Heleus cluster. It led my ship and my crew to the what we call the Onaon system. Your system, complete with an asteroid belt, and five planets. One of them inhabited”.

Jaal doesn’t need to see Evfra’s face to know he’s scowling. His friend is looking out the only window in this part of the Resistance HQ when he curses. Jaal sees Evfra’s pale reflection glaring back at him. He winces when he hears Evfra repeat that same angaran swear word several times. The heated tirade that comes after makes him even more uncomfortable.

He has never seen Evfra this agitated.

“Skkuting! Skkut! I shouldn’t have listened to the Moshae! I should have gone ahead with the demolition! But that skkuting Avela had to whine to Paaran Shie! Of all the stupidity!”

Jaal flinches when Evfra slams his fist into the glass. The deafening bang makes several of their operatives cringe. They have never seen nor heard Evfra react so angrily. Their superior’s composure is broken when he snaps at Ryder. His voice is harsh and gravelly like stones sliding across a riverbed.

“You’re right. There’s a vault out there, but it was shut years ago and the entrance hidden”.

Evfra is certain Ryder has come to Aya for nothing.

“We can’t help you”.

Something twists inside Jaal’s gut. He senses the moment the opportunity arises. He intervenes before Evfra can have Ryder escorted back to her ship. It wouldn’t be right if they didn’t take advantage of what she’s proposing. Their own efforts to rescue the Moshae have failed.

Jaal believes Ryder’s ability to access Remnant technology could be useful.

Perhaps she could even help recover his childhood mentor.

“The Moshae could”, he suggests. “She’s our most revered scientist and elder. She knows this vault”.

Evfra doesn’t hide his annoyance.

“But now the Kett have her and our rescue attempts failed. She’s lost to us”.

Jaal braces himself when Evfra rounds on him with a snarl.

“And you”.

They glower at one another until Ryder offers a solution.

“There must be another way. How can I convince you? Can I offer help?”

Evfra snaps at her too.

“Arrogant! I don’t know you, let alone trust you! Why would I want your help?”

Ryder doesn’t apologise.

“What choice do you have?” she challenges. “If you can’t rescue her than maybe I can. If she can get me inside Aya’s vault. I’m willing to take the risk. Either way, Evfra. It’s worth a try and you won’t lose any time, people, and resources if I do”.

Ryder looks him in the eye with that selfsame boldness Jaal is learning to expect from her.

“My ship and my crew aren’t tied to you, the Resistance, the angaran people, or Aya”.

She flicks imaginary dust from her fingers.

“Technically”, she reminds him. “I don’t have to do a damned thing you say. So, if I decide to rescue your Moshae and bring her home. And the governor of Aya decides she feels grateful enough to sanction me visiting her city. Well, I bet you’d have to grin and bear it”.

A muscle in Evfra’s cheek jumps.

He glares at Ryder.

She winks.

Evfra frowns in confusion.

Ryder grins, though the way her lips peel back from her teeth, reminds Jaal of an adhi baring its fangs. He isn’t sure if she’s threatening them. Ryder is the first alien he’s conversed with. She’s also the first that hasn’t shot at him. Jaal isn’t sure how to feel when she offers him a chance to do what he’s wanted to do for months.

“Do you want your Moshae back?”

Evfra grimaces.

He’s reluctant to ask her for help.

Jaal notices some of their operatives are now gawking at Ryder. They’ve heard what she said. The frightened technician she spoke to gasps. Jaal watches Evfra when the tech babbles. The leader of the Resistance has no control over what’s happening.

“You would try to rescue the Moshae?”

Ryder nods. “It’s the right thing to do”.

The tech stammers. “R-really? B-but your an alien! Y-you don’t owe us anything!”

Ryder snorts. “I actually owe you and your people an apology for landing on your planet uninvited. My arrival caused a stir. I’ve already taken up Evfra’s valuable time too. He could be focusing on leading the Resistance, instead of dealing with me”.

Ryder glances at Evfra. “Since I’m offering to apologise for being an ass. Maybe rescuing the Moshae might convince him of my good intentions. Even though I’ve come in peace. I don’t think the prickly old bastard believes me”.

Evfra scowls. “I don’t”.

“So much for negotiations”, says Ryder. She turns to Jaal with a smile. She gestures to Evfra. “I can’t convince him that free help is good. So, take your shot”.

Jaal takes the hint and tries to coax him in the right direction. “Evfra, I feel. Evfra, what this alien says is extraordinary. The Moshae would want us to be brave and not let this chance pass”.

Evfra is aware he is the centre of attention. Everyone in the Resistance HQ is focused on him. Their eyes bore into and through him as they wait to see what he will do. Evfra doesn’t like the position Ryder has put him in. She’s given his people hope where there was none.

His reply is scathing.

“Jaal, you talk too much”.

Jaal nudges a little more.

“Let me assess this alien. I’ll be your eyes. I know you can spare me”.

Evfra sighs and finally gives in.

“Go if you want, but when she tries to kill you. Be prepared to strike first”.

He storms out of the room, leaving a tense hush behind. The other members of the Resistance trade glances. No one says a word until the door to Evfra’s office slides shut. A heartbeat later they come alive with excited whispers. Jaal and Ryder are left alone by the window.

Jaal introduces himself.

“I’m Jaal Ama Darav. I’ll be your envoy through angaran space”.

Ryder smirks and offers him her hand. “Ryder. It’s gonna be cosy, I hope you like people”.

Jaal mimics the gesture, putting his own hand beside Ryder’s. Their fingers don’t connect. Ryder tries to shake his hand. Jaal grasps her wrist and raises it high. He shows her how to curl her fingers into a fist. He taps his wrist against hers and they bump elbows.

It is a respectful gesture of acceptance from one warrior to another.

Ryder gets it right on the third try.

“I hope I don’t regret this”, says Jaal.

“Me too”, seconds Ryder. “Cool handshake”.

Jaal frowns. “What is a handshake?”

Ryder groans. “And we started off so good too. Damn. I’ll explain later. For now, I’d like to say one thing. Welcome aboard”.

“Aboard what?” asks Jaal. He’s even more confused, until realisation dawns. “Oh. You meant your ship. Thank you”.

Ryder eyes him. “What did you think I meant?” She sighs when Jaal doesn’t answer. “Right, the flirting, and the compliments. You probably think I run my ship like an edition of Fornax”.

Jaal is confused. “What is a Fornax?”

“Ask Drack”.

“Who is Drack?”

Ryder smiles. “A real old battle-hardened Krogan. Guy’s a peach. Love him. He’s the best cranky old grandpa a girl could have”.

Jaal has even more questions now.

“Is a Krogan an alien from your galaxy?” He pauses and takes a breath. “And what is a peach?”

“Yes on the first one and a peach is a type of fruit”, explains Ryder. She waggles her eyebrows. “So, any more questions? I’ve been told I’m a font of knowledge and wisdom. But don’t tell Lexi, she’s our ship’s onboard doctor”.

Jaal likes her odd sense of humour. He finds himself returning her cheek with a question close to home. He remembers how she looked at him. Jaal can’t help but wonder if she finds him attractive too. So he asks.

“Do you find me handsome?”

Ryder’s cheeks are red again. She bites her lip. She hadn’t thought he’d be this frank. There’s a twinkle of amusement in his big blue eyes too. Ryder isn’t specific in her praise, but she does tell him something, though not what he expects.

“I’ve always loved cats”.


	4. To the Docks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Jaal asks questions about sex and reproduction. Although nothing explicit because Ryder is a prude.
> 
> New version posted, updated scenes, minor editing. Added content for Sohkaa and Avela's sidequests on Aya.

Jaal finds walking through the city with Ryder surreal. They don’t have an armed escort, though he’s sure Evfra has snipers posted at key points along the way to the docks. Jaal has lain atop hills and rooftops too, watching Kett patrol their borders. He knows every hair on Ryder’s head is being seen through a sniper’s scope. Evfra always had a backup plan.

Ryder keeps things casual as she asks sensitive questions. 

“So”, she says as they walk together. “How many snipers did he post?”

“Enough”, replies Jaal, though he doesn’t go into details. He knows she’s fishing for information. He’s a member of the angaran Resistance and Evfra’s right-hand man. He’d be the perfect source if he didn’t have a conscience. Jaal isn’t about to satisfy Ryder’s all too-human curiosity.

She’s still an alien and he’s not sure if she’s the friendly kind.

“That’s evasive”. Ryder smiles. “But considering how paranoid Evfra is. I’m not surprised he took precautions”. She arches an eyebrow and regards Jaal with a twinkle in her eye. “So, since we’re on-topic. Do your snipers use some kind of cloaking tech?”

Jaal admires her tenacity. “Now that is a poor attempt at gathering intelligence on my people”.

Ryder shrugs her shoulders. “I’m testing you”.

“For what?” 

“To see how sharp you are”. She gestured to the gun strapped across his back. “Your weapon of choice has a long barrel, a scope, and a lasersight. That’s a sniper rifle. It’s big, grass-green, and definitely of Kett design, even if the guy using it isn’t”.

“Perceptive”, quips Jaal. “Is it my eyes or the shape of my head that gives me away?”

Ryder giggles. “I like a guy with a sense of humour. It’s cute. And actually it’s your face that gives you away”.

“How so?” 

Jaal’s throat flushes blue when Ryder winks and compliments him.

“You’re too pretty to be a Kett”.

She smirks when he corrects her.

“Women are pretty. Men are handsome”.

“And cats”, concludes Ryder. “Are beautiful”.

Jaal is confused by her reference to something he doesn’t understand. He catches himself as he opens his mouth. He can feel his lips moving in an unasked question when Ryder laughs. He finds himself enjoying the sound, especially when her eyes glint with amusement. She’s waiting for him to ask the inevitable.

Jaal refuses to take the bait. He knows what she’s doing. She’s trying to prod and poke him without causing offense or raising alarm. Jaal says nothing. He’s not giving in that easily. 

Ryder will have to try harder to wheedle information out of him. He likes her style though. It’s charming and disarming at the same time. He suspects she’s had plenty of practice, with less stubborn people, over a bottle of booze. Jaal knows a round of tavum would have lubricated his vocal chords, though not enough to make him drunk.

He’s proud of his tolerance, but he doesn’t indulge when on-duty. He is as serious about his responsibilities as Evfra is about leading the Resistance. A quick mind is better than a sluggish one. Jaal had learned from experience that being inebriated at the wrong time could get a man killed. He had the scar, a deep puckered pink gash in his neck, to prove it.

Jaal counters Ryder’s subtle manoeuvring with another question. “Are cats beautiful?” He notices how her face softens. She seems to be lost in the moment, staring into space, as she reminisces about something old and private. A memory, although Jaal can’t be sure.

He believes his instincts are right when he sees that same wistful expression. It lasts several seconds until Ryder sighs. Her slow disappointed exhale speaks of resignation. Jaal wonders if she lost more than just her father. Perhaps she lost a cat, whatever it is, and someone else precious too.

“Yeah”, admits Ryder. “Cats are beautiful”. The moment of melancholy passes. Jaal is surprised when she recovers her composure. Ryder waggles her eyebrows.

“You still haven’t answered my questions”.

Jaal is frank. “I won’t”. He snorts when she changes tactics. He has her full attention as she contemplates what kind of fighter he is. A shrewd glance between him and the rifle riding his shoulder gives her an idea.

“So you’re a sniper”, deduces Ryder. “I like your rifle”.

Jaal’s mouth goes dry. 

Is she implying what he thinks she’s implying?

“I have one too”, elaborates Ryder. “When you start trusting me and we become friends. We can compare firearms”. Her smile is sweet, sly, and seductive. Jaal has difficulty swallowing when Ryder winks. 

“And cloaking tech”.

Jaal’s cheeks are burning. He is grateful his complexion is a mixture of pinks, blues, and purples. He would hate to turn red like Ryder does when she’s embarrassed. Her face glowed like a solar heater radiating light and warmth. Jaal never wanted to be that obvious when he was feeling self-conscious.

Like right now.

“I-um-I-er”, he stammers. He is flustered by her attention. Jaal catches himself before he tells her something he shouldn’t. His brain registers the words – Cloaking tech – before he realises how startled he is. He huffs when he sees that knowing look in her eye.

She was baiting him on purpose. 

Again.

“You are naughty”, Jaal growls. His irritation morphs into astonishment when Ryder smirks.

He can’t help but stare.

“Am I?” she asks with a hint of sensual promise in her voice. “I was just making conversation”. The nonchalant shrug of her shoulders tells Jaal how shameless she is. This Ryder is a flirt as well as a troublemaker. Jaal hopes she hasn’t set her sights on him.

He also hopes Evfra’s assumption, that Ryder was a Matefinder, isn’t a prediction for the future. Jaal’s heart clenches inside his chest. He feels that unpleasant tingle of foreboding. His mother had often told him, in good-natured exasperation, that he was likely to mate an alien. After losing Allia to his brother and then to the Kett, he’d avoided romantic relationships. 

On principle.

His mother Sahuna had a frightening tendency to be right.

Most of the time.

“Of course you were”, chides Jaal. “I’m certain you enjoy making me blush”.

Ryder laughs. “I wouldn’t know if you were blushing. I’m an alien, remember? I know nothing about angaran biology”.

“A convenient excuse”, grumbles Jaal. 

Ryder seems to find his annoyance hilarious.

“What?” she challenges. “Are you offering to educate me on the finer points of angaran biology?”

Jaal’s retort surprises her.

“Are you offering to educate me on the finer points of human biology? If so, perhaps we can work out an arrangement”.

Ryder’s cheeks turn red. She swallows her own medicine with difficulty. She almost chokes on her own spit when Jaal gives her an expectant look. He’s waiting for an answer while she hedges her bets. Jaal wonders how far she’ll go now when she’s lost her momentum.

She’s not in control of the conversation any more.

They’ve gone beyond teasing and strolled into unfamiliar territory.

Ryder recovers with more grace than Jaal expects. “One step at a time, big guy. But if you’re curious, Lexi can fill you in. She’s the medical expert on my ship. Feel free to quiz her, pardon the pun, until you’re blue in the face. But bear in mind that she’ll have questions for you too”.

“Oh”, Jaal realises. “I will be the first angara she has ever met”.

“Yup”, confirms Ryder. “And a word of warning. Lexi is a specialist in alien anatomy. You could become her new pet-project. She's a great doctor and a better psychiatrist, but she’s still too damned nosy”.

Jaal feels his skin crawl with apprehension. He can tolerate a doctor’s pointed questions. Angaran medical personnel were frank in their diagnoses. Jaal wonders if this Lexi shares their clinical professionalism. He also wonders if she’s like Ryder.

“Is Lexi human?”

“No. She’s asari”.

“Asari”, repeats Jaal. “Ah, another alien from your galaxy”.

“If it helps”, says Ryder. “Asari are kind of shaped like humans. But they’re more blue than pink like me. Their blood is blue too. She probably looks more like an angara than a human”.

Jaal frowns and stares at her chest. He points to the fleshy protrusions jiggling against her breastbone. He doesn’t understand what he’s doing wrong when Ryder clucks her tongue. He stiffens when she catches his hand and pushes it down towards the ground. A stern shake of her head makes Jaal nervous.

“I only wanted to ask a question”, he explains. “I didn’t mean to offend you”.

Ryder pats his knuckles. “You didn’t, Jaal”.

“But you’re upset”.

The corners of her eyes crinkle as she smiles. “I’m not. I don’t want to blunder through an explanation. I know angaran women are different from human women and asari. They don’t have breasts, or mammary glands, as Lexi would call them”.

Jaal rolls the new words around his tongue. “Breasts. Mammary glands. How strange. What is their function?”

Ryder blushes. “That's something you need to ask Lexi”. She releases his hand and takes a step backward. “When you meet her. Don’t point at her chest like that. I'm sure Lexi will find it funny, but another human or an asari might take offence. Or think you’re coming onto her”.

Jaal’s confusion shows on his face. “Why would I come onto her? If your biology is like our own. Would I not seed her womb during mating? The proper definition would be that I-What is wrong?”

Ryder’s face glows red-hot like a furnace.

She’s mortified. “I wasn’t talking about sex”.

“Oh”, remarks Jaal. “Is it taboo to discuss such things openly?”

Ryder nods. “Kind of, especially with a stranger”.

“I see”. 

He doesn’t though. His people aren’t restrained in anything they do. Love and sex are accepted facets of life in a society with family as its cornerstone. Jaal thinks it’s bizarre for Ryder to be discomforted by something so natural. Humans must be prudes.

“If you were not talking about sex”, states Jaal. He is curious now. “What did you mean?”

Ryder groans and makes a hopeful suggestion. “Can we pretend this conversation never happened? I’d like to return to my ship”. She raises a hand to silence him before he can ask her about human reproduction. “If you want to know anything about sex. Ask Lexi. As for coming onto someone, well, it’s an expression, an idiom”.

Jaal still wants an explanation. “But what does it mean?”

Ryder takes a deep fortifying breath. She’s still uncomfortable, but she answers anyway. “In short, it means that you’re attracted to someone”.

“Sexually?”

Ryder frowns. “Jaal!”

He coaxes her the way he coaxed Evfra. “I am a stranger to your culture and your species. I would appreciate any insight you can give me. I would also prefer to avoid any future misunderstandings with your people. Will you help me, Ryder?”

“You just had to phrase it like that”, she complains. “I’m the Pathfinder. I’d be an utter bitch if I didn’t try. Damn it. Sometimes, I hate my job”.

Ryder rolls her eyes. She takes another breath and counts to five. “One, two, three, four, five”. She calms on the fifth exhale. “All right, big guy. We’ve got another ten minutes before we hit the docks. Ask away”.

Jaal beams with a flash of white teeth. “Excellent”.

Their journey resumes and Ryder proves open-minded. She answers what she can without confusing him. She makes polite excuses when he treads too close to something best defined by Lexi. Ryder refuses to explain anything related to vaginas and penises. She shakes her head when he asks about the mechanics of sex and fertilisation.

“But you can have children?”

“Of course I can. I’m a female of my species”.

“Really?”

Ryder eyes him with suspicion. “Did you think I was a guy when you first met me?”

Jaal lies. Badly. “No”.

Ryder calls him on it. “Bullshit. You're a terrible liar".

Things take a turn for the worst when he pries into her personal history.

“So”, says Jaal with the casualness of an enraged ahdi. He tears a chuck out of her heart when he asks about her family. “Do you have any siblings?” He realises his error when Ryder bites her lip. He sees the way her eyes prickle at the corners.

He knows she’s close to crying when she answers.

“Yeah. Only one. I have a twin brother”.

Jaal knows he’s entered a minefield. He treads carefully though each step feels like it will be his last. He doesn’t want to lose the rapport he’s building with Ryder. Jaal knows his transition from being an outsider to being part of her crew will be easier with her support. He wants to make the right first impression and not end up on the wrong end of the barrel of a gun.

“Why is he not with you?”

Ryder’s smile is soft and sad. “He was hurt when we first came to Heleus. He’s in an induced coma. He’s alive, but his recovery will be slow. It’s hard when I haven’t spoken to him in six hundred years”.

Jaal gapes at her. He is bewildered. “Six hundred years? But how? You cannot be that old”.

“I’m twenty-two”, replies Ryder. “And I know someone who is that old and getting more ancient by the day”.

She has that cheeky twinkle in her eye again.

Jaal is relieved. He knows she’s trying to distract him. She isn’t ready to talk about her family. He takes the hint and allows her to change the subject. He is glad he does.

Ryder launches into an animated discussion about her Krogan crewmate.

“I’m sure Drack is around two thousand years old by now. But before my people came to Heleus he was around fourteen hundred, or so his granddaughter Kesh told me”.

Jaal is intrigued. “He has a granddaughter?”

“Yeah”, confirms Ryder. “She’s all kinds of amazing”.

Jaal sees how much she cares about them. Her face is bright and shining like a star. Her smile is warm and loving. There’s a hint of sadness too, but it diminishes with every word. Ryder is ecstatic when she describes Drack’s talent as a chef.

“He’s a fantastic cook. And I thought my mom was good. Drack takes roast and turns it into an art form. He even makes boring old sandwiches exciting. And his desserts are beyond delicious”.

Jaal delights in her happiness. “You think of them as family”.

All trace of Ryder’s anxiety is gone. “Yeah”, she admits with a smile. “I do”.

Jaal is content for now. He asks no more questions. Ryder accepts his silence with a nod. They continue to the docks as companions if not quite friends. Jaal finds their new and tenuous relationship strange.

It isn’t the comfortable familiarity of friendship. 

It isn’t tense and hostile as if they were enemies.

He is starting to see Ryder as more than an alien. She’s a puzzle wrapped in an enigma. She is mysterious and fascinating like a secret that needs unravelling. Jaal isn’t a scientist, but he enjoys tinkering. He likes to learn, to figure things out, and he wonders if Ryder will permit him to do that inside her world.

He hopes so. He senses she is the key to a great many things. He knows relations between his people and her own will be coloured by her deeds. The angara don’t trust her now, but from what Jaal’s seen of her so far. He thinks they will in time.

Ryder’s appeal is magnetic like the gravitational pull of of a star. He already feels the influence she’s having on him. And it’s all positive. He chuckles when she’s flagged down by two angara. The first is a merchant Sohkaa Esof, a plant by Evfra, who asks if she trades goods and services.

They chat amiably though Sohkaa doesn’t think much of Ryder’s credits.

Jaal chuckles when he tries to buy her ship.

“It’s not for sale”, counters Ryder. “Is there something else I can do for you?”

The line is set and the bait swallowed.

“Yes”, says the merchant. “Call me Sohkaa. I run cargo between Aya and other worlds. Good work. Good at it”. He is quick to make demands. “You’re here to help my people? Prove it. I need help”.

Jaal is pleased when Ryder takes Sohkaa’s abruptness in stride. She is good at what she does. She listens when Sohkaa explains his problem. She asks for clarity when she needs more details. In the end they shake hands in agreement over a bargain struck.

Ryder smirks. “All right, Sohkaa Esof. You’ve got yourself a deal. I’ll find your supplier for you. And when I return to Aya. I expect you to be ready and willing to trade”.

Sohkaa scoffs. “You find Keldo first. You bring back his cargo. Then we trade not before”.

Ryder nods. “Understood”. She steps aside when the second angara waves to catch her attention. She smiles and glances at Jaal over her shoulder. “Will you be okay for a few minutes? That lady really wants to talk to me”.

Jaal decides to be helpful. “Her name is Avela Kjar”.

Ryder hesitates. “Wait. Is she the Avela, Evfra was whinging about?”

“The very same”.

Ryder’s eyes narrow. “Is she a historian?”

“She is”, says Jaal. He sees Avela frown. She doesn’t want him discussing her business with the Pathfinder. “It would be best if you spoke to her. Go, Ryder. I will wait for you”.

Ryder isn’t sure she wants to meet Avela.

“I don’t think that’s necessary”.

Jaal finds her reluctance interesting. “Why wouldn’t you?”

Ryder grimaced. “I’m an alien. Remember? I bet being the first to set foot on Aya is one for the history books. If Avela is a historian. She might ask me all sorts of weird questions”.

“Like I did?”

“Yeah”.

Ryder stumbles when Jaal pushes her shoulder. 

“Hey!”

He nods to Avela. He can tell she’s growing impatient from the way she hops from foot to foot. “Go and talk to her, Ryder. If her request is inappropriate. You can always turn her down. I will be waiting here for you”.

She rolls her eyes. “Fine. Quit being so pushy. Geeze. You’re worse than Evfra”.

Jaal clears his throat with a husky cough when Ryder dawdles.

She blushes. “All right. I’m going”. She mutters an expletive he can’t understand. His translator garbles the meaning. Jaal is confused when he hears an approximate translation.

Even Sohkaa is baffled.

“Did she tell you to shove your head up your own arse?”

Jaal isn’t sure. “It sounded more like – Pour shit on your own head”.

“Disgusting”. Sohkaa snorts. “I like her”.

He agrees. “So do I”.

Jaal waits whilst Ryder speaks with Avela. He can’t hear what’s being said. Their voices are hushed. Their conversation private. Jaal suspects Avela is asking Ryder for a favour.

He knows Evfra will disapprove.

Ryder returns to him a few minutes later. She doesn’t offer an explanation. Jaal knows better than to ask. Some things are best kept secret. They wave goodbye to Sohkaa, who responds in kind with a blessing of farewell.

“May your way be bright, Pathfinder. Until we meet again”.

“Back at ya, Sohkaa Esof”.

The merchant laughs and waves them away. 

Jaal is thoughtful when they reach the docks. “Ryder”.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you”.

She frowns. “For what?”

“For being you”.

She’s puzzled by his statement. “Okay. That’s a weird compliment”.

Jaal watches her approach the docking terminal. He knows that several angara are loitering and trying to look inconspicuous. Most are failing. He can feel the heat of a hundred eyes boring into his back. He catches sight of a shuttle pilot gawking at Ryder.

He knows him too.

“Rannil”, he calls. “Don’t you have work to do?”

Rannil scowls and turns around. He pretends to use an oily rag to buff the wall of his shuttle. Jaal catches him glancing over his shoulder from time to time. Rannil is as hopeless as the rest of them. Jaal is impressed by Ryder’s ability to ignore their spectators.

She activates the docking terminal while he admires the sharp lines of her ship. It’s black and white with slashes of red. Its name is written in bold black ink, which Jaal has trouble reading. The symbols are unfamiliar and the translation supplied by his visor is odd. Jaal reads something else in Shelesh in crisp neon-blue letters.

“It is called the Tempest?”

“Yeah”, affirms Ryder. “Wait. I forgot. You can’t read written English, like I can’t read written Shelesh. I bet your visor comes with a visual translator. Am I right?”

He nods.

“So”, prompts Ryder. “What does the word tempest translate into in Shelesh?”

Jaal hesitates to answer. He’s not sure what she’ll think. The translation is less poetic and franker than he likes. A quirk of the language makes an indirect reference to the ship’s captain. In that moment Jaal wishes the trade-tongue of his people wasn’t so literal.

“Oh, come on”, urges Ryder. “You can’t keep me in suspense forever”.

Jaal sighs. “In my language the name of your ship translates as – Rider of the Stormy Winds”. He takes a breath. “Or as Stormrider if you want less of a mouthful. It is appropriate considering your standing among my people”.

Ryder grins. “So, I’m riding stormy winds am I?”

“Very”.

“Good to know. Do you think Evfra sent you to blow me off course?”

Jaal grimaced.

“You have a terrible sense of humour”.

Ryder shrugs her shoulders. “I call it as I see it. Anyway”. She eyes him and gestures to her ship. “Aren’t you going to tell me how pretty she is?”

The tension between them eases. 

“Your ship is”, states Jaal with a sense of wonder. “We have nothing like it”.

“Wait till you see the inside”.

“It gets better?”

She nods. “Oh yeah”.

“You ready to go?” asks Jaal. He is eager to get their journey underway.

“Definitely”, seconds Ryder. 

The docking bridge slides out before them, slat by slat, until it’s fully extended.

Ryder leads the way. “Come on, big guy. I’ll introduce you to the rest of my crew. And this time. Please don’t point at their chests. And don’t stare at any boobs you see”.

He asks the inevitable. “What are boobs?”

Ryder pats her cleavage. “Breasts, mammary glands. They’re also called tits, teats, hooters, jugs, melons and my personal favourite – Milk factories. Just don’t call them that in a woman’s hearing. She might kick you in the pills”.

“Pills?”

Ryder groans. “Balls. Unmentionables. Dangly bits”. At his confused expression, she says one word.

“Testicles”.

Jaal shakes his head. “That wouldn’t hurt”.

Now she’s curious. “Why?”

“Our gear”, explains Jaal. “Is kept internally”.

“Like inside a sheath?” asks Ryder.

“Yes”.

She reddens. “Like a turian. Huh. Never saw that coming”.

“A what?”

“Nothing”. She makes a point not to look at his crotch. “Please don't stare at my crewmates. Especially the women. They’ll be shaped like me, so you’ll know they’re females. Our men have flat chests”.

“Interesting”. Jaal laughs. “I’ll try not too”.

“Good”, says Ryder. “Otherwise Cora is going to think all kinds of bad thoughts about you”.

“Ah. This Cora is human like you?”

“Yup”, declares Ryder. “And she’s prickly like Evfra”.

“Noted, Pathfinder”, says Jaal. “I will be on my best behaviour”.

She laughs at his cheek. “You’re bold as brass. A man after my own heart. I’m starting to like you more and more Mr. Ama Darav”. She nods to her ship. “Come on”. 

Ryder hesitates to take another step when something occurs to her. “Shit”, she curses. “I forgot. You won’t be able to eat our food. And you still need your own gear too. Clothes included”.

Jaal gestures to the cargo containers sitting on the launch pad beside her ship.

Ryder sees them too. “Son of a bitch. Did Evfra?”

“He did, Pathfinder”.

She snorts. “He moves fast. Damn. We left Resistance HQ like fifteen minutes ago”.

Jaal is unsurprised by the swift preparations. “Evfra is adept at what he does”.

Ryder nods. “Yeah. He is so like my dad”.

“How?”

There is a twinkle in her eyes. “He’s prepared for everything”.


	5. Aboard the Tempest - Meeting the Crew P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaal meets some of Ryder's crewmates and takes his first steps aboard the Tempest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains foul language. Discretion is advised.
> 
> Cut due to length, re-edited, new version updated and uploaded. Fixing of minor errors.

It took half an hour to load the cargo containers aboard the Tempest. Jaal was intrigued by the solidarity of Ryder’s crew. They worked together, often stealing glances at him, as they helped stow his gear. There was little time for formal introductions. Ryder promised to do things right once they were offworld. 

“Sorry about the staring”, she apologised. Liam and Gil were lingering overlong on the Tempest’s loading ramp. “You’re the first Angara they’ve met”.

“It’s all right”, said Jaal. “They’re the first human males I’ve seen. They’re small like you. They have no natural armour. And their skin looks thin as if a single scratch would make them bleed”.

Ryder frowned when Gil barked.

“Hey! Who’re you calling small and delicate?”

Jaal sensed the start of an argument until the Tempest’s engineer pointed at the guy beside him. He was stunned when Gil grinned.

“Him right?” he asked as he nudged Liam in the ribs. “I’m the pretty one around here. Ryder’s so-so for a girl”. Gil waved his hand back and forth as if to measure the level of their Pathfinder’s attractiveness. “And I’m several inches taller than Liam and Ryder too”.

Liam turned on Gil with a snarl and punched him in the shoulder.

“You’re not funny! None of what happened to Ryder is something to laugh about! You’re being stupid!”

Gil almost dropped the box he was carrying.

“Hey! Ow-Whoa! Geeze, Liam! Take a chill-pill! I was only joking!”

Liam made a rude gesture and stomped up the ramp into the belly of the ship.

“Shut up! Get out of my face!”

Gil was left standing alone, shaking his head. “Shit. That boy is not a happy chappy. I’ve seen rocks with sunnier dispositions. If looks could kill, Ryder. Your new friend would be dead”.

Jaal saw her sigh with a weariness that went bone-deep. Ryder was tired of dealing with this particular member of her crew. Liam seemed to be a loose cannon. Jaal wondered how long he’d rant and rage about what happened on Aya. He thought it would take a few days for Liam to warm to him, if he did at all.

“Shit”, swore Ryder. “What happened while I was gone?”

“Most of it was fretful worrying”, revealed Gil. “The rest involved a heated discussion about whether or not we should rescue you. Liam didn’t think you’d make it back alive. Cora wanted to wait and see what happened. She’s a real stickler for protocol that one”.

Ryder grimaced. “And Drack and Vetra?”

Gil took a deep breath. “Were the only ones with a lick of sense between them. Vetra thought it was suicide to try. Drack told everyone to shut up, sit tight, and trust you to return to us. Which you did much to their surprise”.

Ryder rolled her eyes. “Of course Liam would think the worst. Cora would wait to see if I'd died. Vetra would be sensible. And Drack would be the only one to have the tiniest bit of faith in me”.

Gil pouted. “I had faith in you too. I knew you’d find a way to turn this mess into an advantage. Liam might hate your solution. But it’s better than the alternative”.

“Gil”.

“It is. Stop selling yourself short. You’re a damned good, Pathfinder. It’s about time you started believing in yourself. Drack and I do”.

Ryder didn’t seem to know what to say. Jaal saw the indecision on her face. Her brows furrowed as if she were outraged. Her lashes fluttered as if she wanted to cry. The way her jaw tightened as she clenched her teeth made it seem as if she’d tasted something vile.

Jaal supposed she had.

Pride, especially one’s own, was often a bitter pill to swallow.

“I know what you’re saying”, replied Ryder. “I do. It’s just”.

“What?” urged Gil. “Come on. Out with it”.

“I’m not good with praise”, she admitted. “It’s hard to accept. You know? What with my Dad being who he was. It’s a hard act to follow”.

“You’re bloody amazing at what you do, Ryder”.

“I’m not. You know I’m not. All I do is try my best. That’s all, Gil. Anybody could do my job, as well as, if not better than me”.

Gil shook his head. He didn’t agree with her one bit. “Now that’s a lie. You know it is. Good grief, girl. Have a little pride in yourself”.

Ryder’s immediate defence was annoyance.

“It’s not that easy! Damn it, Gil! Stop looking at me like that!”

“Like what?” he asked, his frustration ebbing. He hated it when she got upset about her old man. Gil was certain he’d been an amazing soldier. It was a pity that dedication hadn’t translated well into fatherhood. Gil knew all about Ryder’s inferiority complex and her familial troubles with her Dad.

Alec Ryder’s death had made her feel worse about herself not better.

“With those big disappointed brown eyes!” cried Ryder. “It feels like you’re judging me! I don’t need it! Stop! Please!”

“Sorry about that”, apologised Gil. Capitulation was best now. “You know me. Force of habit. You’re like the big-sister I’ve always wanted, but never had. Kind of like Jill, but less annoying, and more loveable”.

“Gil!”

“All right. You’ve got it. I’ll stop with the praise”. 

He knew Ryder would get more upset if he kept insisting she was wrong. She preferred to lie to herself than accept the truth. It was always easier. Gil hated her lack of confidence. She was a good egg even if she didn’t believe it.

“Sorry. I’m turning away”, he assured her. “And now I’m not looking at you. Feeling better?” 

“A little”, grumbled Ryder. “Give me some space. Okay?”

“Got it”, confirmed Gil. “I’ll go over there by Jaal”.

Ryder huffed and ignored him.

Gil turned away from her with a sigh. It gave Ryder a moment’s breathing space. Jaal noticed how she gazed into the distance, seeing everything and nothing at all. Despite how open and expressive Ryder was. It seemed she had difficulty dealing with the expectations of others.

Even if they meant well.

Gil’s smile was half-hearted. Jaal could tell he was worried about Ryder. He didn’t glance her way, but he did stay close by. Ryder had asked him to give her space not to leave her alone. So he remained within arm’s reach.

For now.

“I don’t think Liam likes you”, declared Gil. “I’m sure he’ll come round. But it’ll take awhile. Liam doesn’t like feeling helpless. He’s a doer not a thinker”.

“He is angry”, deduced Jaal. “Because I am now a member of Ryder’s crew. My people did march her at gunpoint through the streets of Aya. For all this Liam knew. She could have been executed, the Tempest impounded, and the rest of you imprisoned”.

Gil gawked at him, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Well shit. Someone’s a walking crystal ball and it’s not me”. He gave Jaal a thoughtful look. “Are you always this honest or is it an Angaran thing? ‘Cause that insight is gonna piss off the bigwigs back on the Nexus”.

Jaal frowned. “What is a walking crystal ball?” He nodded at Gil’s question. “And yes. My people are unrestrained in their emotions. We say what we feel. Liam is right to be angry. In his place, faced with such uncertainty. I would feel the same way”.

Jaal was astonished by how unflappable Gil was. The human accepted his explanation with a nod. 

“Well that’s refreshing. I’m going to like you. The name’s Gil Brodie”. He smiled. “I’d shake your hand, but I don't want to drop my box. Could have something important in it”.

Gil jiggled the box in his arms. It was large, made of black metal, and had an angaran numerical lock on the front. He didn’t know what was inside, but he had a fair idea. Gil knew a footlocker when he saw one. Some things translated across species and galactic boundaries.

Jaal wanted to keep what was inside this box private.

Gil asked one thing.

“I’m not carrying munitions am I? I don’t need to know if you’re a boxers or briefs man. I’m not making accusations either. I’m the ship’s Chief Engineer and believe me when I tell you. An exploding eezo drive is a sure way to die”.

“No. I would never be so careless”, Jaal assured him. “That footlocker contains keepsakes from home, bits of angaran tech, a few datapads, and some nutrient paste. I’m uncertain if I can eat your food, so Evfra made sure I had enough of my own”.

“Now that’s organisation I can appreciate”, praised Gil. “What do you think, Ryder?”

She took a fortifying breath and rejoined their conversation.

Jaal noticed how procedure took over. Ryder was adaptive on the fly. She put aside her personal insecurities and focused on the task at hand. Jaal thought her life was likely dictated by priority rather than circumstance. And having an alien aboard her ship was a potential security risk until proven otherwise.

“I still need to check to make sure”, said Ryder. “Give me a minute”.

Jaal heard a soft hum and saw a flash of orange light. He turned to see what Ryder was doing, but she was too quick. The light faded and she eyed him as if he were something new an interesting. She clucked her tongue when he opened his mouth to ask a question. A stern shake of her head discouraged him from being too curious.

“Sorry, big guy. Standard security check. Don’t worry. You pass”.

“Did you do that with all my belongings?”

Ryder winked. “You’re damned right I did. Every single crate. I like you, Jaal. But I don’t trust you”.

Jaal returned her scrutiny. “Trust is earned not given. You would do well to remember that”.

“I will”, she promised. “You’d best do that too. It goes both ways”.

“So it does”.

Ryder laughed. The sound was deep and husky. She seemed less moody and more relaxed. Gil had distracted her from her sullenness. Jaal thought his timing was uncanny.

“Good to know”, stated Ryder. “And while we’re handing out compliments. I’m grateful Evfra didn’t smuggle munitions aboard my ship. It says a lot about his credibility. As for exploding eezo drives. Well, they’re a nightmare”.

“There’s personal experience talking”, remarked Gil. “Which is not a good thing”.

Ryder elaborated when Jaal looked her way.

“I’ve been thrown out of a shuttle during a lightning storm. A stray spark ignited the thrusters and fried the onboard electronics. I was in freefall for a good five minutes before I hit the ground. I was lucky I wasn’t inside the cockpit when the engine blew. The explosion ripped the shuttle in half”.

Jaal gaped at her. He couldn’t believe she’d been that stupid. Only a fool flew a ship into a lightning storm. An even greater fool lived to tell their tale. He hoped the dread sinking into his gut wasn’t a portent for future.

“You fell out of a shuttle and almost plummeted to your death. I hope you don’t pilot this ship”. Jaal pointed a thick finger at the black and white belly of the Tempest over their heads. “My mothers would be horrified to know I had joined your crew. Which is why I will not be telling them what you told me”.

Jaal didn’t need to say it.

Ryder heard him loud and clear.

“I wasn’t piloting the shuttle!”, she hissed. “And it wasn’t my idea to fly into a lightning storm! I was in the back hitching a ride planetside when everything went to shit! I was following orders! And I am not reckless!”

Jaal wasn’t so sure about that. “You argued with the Leader of the Angaran Resistance. And you touched him, Ryder. Evfra could have had you killed. Was that not reckless?”

He had her there.

“Fine”, she agreed. “You’re right. I was a little reckless in dealing with Evfra, but it worked out in the end”. She glared at Gil when he pursed his lips. “Don’t you start on me too”.

Gil snorted. “He’s right. You’re reckless, Miss – I’ve got an Impenetrable Biotic Shield. Drack’s told me all about you deflecting bullets, lasers, and turret fire. And let’s not forget the biotic shockwaves, Nova blasts, and Charges with a shotgun”.

Ryder jabbed a finger at the cargo bay’s open hatch. “I’ve had quite enough of your wit for one day. Get going. I hear the Nomad needs a tune-up. Go check her over for me. And try to keep the wisecracks to a minimum while you work”.

Gil chuckled. “Yes, Maam”. He gave Jaal an expectant look. “So, are you going to tell me your name or what? I’m Gil and you are?”

“I am Jaal Ama Darav”.

Gil nodded. “Nice to meet you, Jaal. Don’t mind Liam. He’ll get off his high horse once he gets to know you”. He inclined his head to Ryder. “And she’s not so bad once you realise she’s human and not just a biotic powerhouse”.

Jaal was intrigued. “What is a horse and why would it be up high?” He paused for a moment, gazing at Ryder, and added. “And what is a biotic? I have never heard this term before”.

Gil grinned from ear to ear. He ran his tongue across his teeth as he considered how to best answer Jaal’s questions. Gil had none of Ryder’s nervousness. He was acting as if everything were normal. It didn’t seem to matter that there was an alien aboard the Tempest.

Jaal doubted he would have been so calm in the same situation. He was amazed by Gil’s lack of hostility. The man was Liam’s opposite. He was warm and friendly, easy to talk too, and kind enough to explain the things Jaal didn’t understand. It was odd to be treated so well by a new acquaintance.

“Well, it’s another idiom”, revealed Gil. “A horse is a type of animal, a beast of burden, a creature a person rides. To be up high on one means you’re above someone not on a horse. In short it’s an expression we use to call someone a snob. Being on a high-horse generally means a person is acting as if they’re better than you are. Liam was being a snob when he didn’t introduce himself and walked off in a huff”.

“Ah”, realised Jaal. “I understand. Gosan yav daar”.

Gil frowned. “Goose-what?”

“Not goose. Gosan yav daar”, repeated Jaal. “It means – clinging to a rock – in Shelesh. My people say it when someone is being stubborn. It is appropriate considering Liam’s anger”.

“I like the simplicity”, praised Gil. “It’s frank without being crude. And it sounds poetic. Hey, Jaal. Would you mind teaching me Shelesh?”

Jaal was surprised by the request. “You wish to learn?”

Gil nodded. “Sure do. If it’s all right with you. I don’t want to impose if you feel uncomfortable about it. I know we’ve just met and everything”.

Jaal liked him already. Gil was open and honest like an Angara. It was strange to think that an alien could act like one of his people. Gil wore his heart on his sleeve. Jaal was glad he’d found something familiar in the place he least expected.

He wasn’t alone aboard the Tempest after all.

“How about we trade?” suggested Jaal. “I will teach you Shelesh. If you will teach me about your people. That way we can both learn something useful. It would be mutually beneficial”.

Gil turned to Ryder for guidance. “Sounds good to me. But, the Pathfinder has the final word. What do you think? It could be helpful. We know next to nothing about the Angara”.

Ryder glanced between them. The corners of her mouth curved upward. Her cheeks dimpled as she smiled. This situation was all too familiar. Ryder was quick to set the boundaries of their exchange.

“All right. I can get behind it provided you don’t compromise confidentiality. I don’t want Lexi breathing down my neck because patient files left the ship. Also nothing classified is to be discussed across open channels”.

Ryder eyed Jaal. “That goes for you too, Mr. Ama Darav. I don't want to antagonise Evfra. He already hates me. It’ll be worse if he thinks I’m stupid and unprofessional too”.

“That would be wise”, agreed Jaal. “Evfra is a dangerous enemy to have. Even so, do we have your permission to proceed?”

Gil gave her a hopeful look. “Come on, Pathfinder. Do I have to beg?”

Ryder smiled. “All right boys. Your exchange is sanctioned. Keep to the rules and we won’t have any problems. Be polite. Okay? I don’t want to have to break up a fight because you insulted one another with realising it”.

“We’ll behave”, said Gil. “Right, Jaal?”

“Right”.

Jaal frowned.

“Something wrong?” asked Ryder. 

“Yes. You still haven’t told me what a biotic is”.

Gil nodded to Ryder. 

“She’s a biotic. Cora too, though she’s less flashy and more – I’m gonna punch you in the face. Peebee’s passable for an asari, but she prefers to shoot first and ask questions later. Lexi’s already terrifying with needles. I’d shit bricks if she started tossing singularities”.

Now Jaal was curious. The way he eyeballed Ryder made her uncomfortable. She had never mentioned being a biotic to Evfra. Jaal wondered if she had any other secrets to share. He also wondered if it would be rude to ask for a demonstration of the biotic moves Gil had described.

“Ryder”, he began. “Could you show me what you can do?”

She nodded though Jaal suspected by the way she glowered at Gil. She wasn’t happy about it. Perhaps being a biotic was a sensitive issue. Jaal wondered if it was tied to her family somehow. He had seen the same irritation in his siblings when something upset their Mothers. Family members always made life more enjoyable and frustrating.

Jaal saw Gil exhale the breath he was holding when Ryder spoke. The relief on his face would’ve been comical if Ryder’s eyes hadn’t narrowed. She was annoyed with him. Jaal wondered if he’d overstepped his bounds. If he had asked for something he shouldn’t have.

“All right, Jaal. But not right now”, stated Ryder. “Biotics are a little unpredictable in close quarters. I’ll take you out when we’re planetside again. I know you’ll have all sorts of questions”.

Her moodiness turned playful. Ryder winked. Jaal snorted. It seemed as if they were sharing a private joke. Gil was suspicious of their easy camaraderie.

They got on well for being total strangers.

“Till then, Jaal”, advised Ryder. “Feel free to ask Lexi about biotics”.

“I will do that”, he promised. “Should we continue loading the ship?”

“Good idea”.

“Well aren’t you two looking cosy”, teased Gil. 

Ryder smiled. “We were being civil”.

Jaal nodded. “We were. Is something wrong with that?”

Gil didn’t buy it. “Whatever lovebirds. You’re moving fast, Ryder. He hasn’t been on the Tempest for five minutes. And you’re already swooping in to sweep him off his feet”.

Ryder blushed. “I was not! We were just talking!”

Jaal was confused. “I have not been swept off my feet. I am still standing here as you can see. Ryder hasn’t attacked. Or is this another idiom?”

“Right in one. Sneaky old Ryder was flirting with you”, explained Gil. “And she’s been caught in the act doing it. Oh, Ryder. Drack will be disappointed. I know on good authority that he was hoping to set you up with a nice Black Widow”.

“A what?” asked Jaal. “Is a Black Widow dangerous?” Whatever it was. It sounded deadly. Jaal hoped it wasn’t an insect of some kind. He wasn’t fond of bugs.

“It is in the right hands. You can trust Ryder on that”. Gil smirked when she bit her lip. “He’s a smart one, Ryder. Try not to offend him with your barbaric human ways. He’s a keeper. I wouldn’t mind teaching him poker once he’s settled. He’d be a deft hand. I’m sure”.

Ryder groaned. “Will you go back inside? Please?”

Gil laughed. “Sure thing. Once I know where you’re going to put Jaal”. He jiggled the footlocker in his arms again. “It’s not like I know where he’s bunking down. I do need a place to put this thing”.

Jaal gazed expectantly at Ryder. “Where would I sleep? I will need space to work”.

She was still pink-cheeked when Gil made a suggestion.

“The Pathfinder’s quarters is huge. There’s a double bed and a private bathroom after she demanded we add a separate compartment. The plumbing is new too. We’re lucky she’s bossy. We only had one toilet until she had another put into the bathroom off the crew quarters”.

Gil waggled his eyebrows. “Before you had to time taking a piss every morning. One shitter with a crew of four isn’t so bad, but increase that number by six. You start having problems. Thanks to Ryder kicking up a fuss. We have a separate shower too”.

“Adequate ablution facilities are a necessity”, commended Jaal. “It is good that Ryder anticipated the needs of her crew. Although I doubt she would welcome me inside her personal quarters. I am an alien and an unknown. Is there another place aboard that would be better suited?”

Gil gave him a thoughtful nod. “You could squat in the Tech Lab. Cora’s already claimed the Bio Lab. She likes watering the plants and she hasn’t killed them yet. It’s a bonus. Believe me”.

Ryder was too flustered to deny Jaal’s request.

“A place to tinker and take things apart”, he told her with a smile. “I would like that. Yes. It sounds appropriate. Ryder, would you mind?”

“No”, she replied. “I know you’d be comfortable there. It’s private and you can lock the door if you need too. I can forward the passcodes once you’re issued an omnitool. You’ll still need to see Lexi for a physical before we debrief in the Meeting room”.

Jaal was glad he’d have his own personal space.

“Excellent. Will I see you again in an hour?”

“You’ll need to make it two hours”, advised Gil. “Lexi will keep you for an hour for the physical. She’s very thorough. And after you’re done being poked and prodded, I could show you the ship as I make my rounds. I’m the best person to do that aside from Kallo”.

Some of Gil’s enthusiasm soured. Jaal wondered if it was because of him. He was the newest addition to the Tempest’s crew. An outsider. Jaal’s relief was sharp and near overwhelming when Gil elaborated on what this Kallo did.

“He pilots the ship”.

“I see. Is this Kallo an alien too?”

Gil grimaced. “Like everyone aboard the ship. Including you?”

“Yes”.

Jaal hoped he hadn’t offended him. He was relieved when Gil snickered.

“Yeah. Kallo’s a salarian. A blueprints man. Where as I’m a grease-up-to-my-elbows kind of guy. We don’t get along for obvious reasons”.

“Ah. He follows instructions. You prefer to make it up as you go along”.

Gil beamed at him, all white teeth and satisfaction. “Finally!” he cried. “Someone gets it! You’re going to fit right in, Jaal. Come on, I’ll take you to Lexi. We’ve got most of your stuff stowed in the cargo hold. I’m sure Ryder can take care of the rest”.

Jaal turned to the ship’s Pathfinder.

“Ryder?”

Her face was red. She was embarrassed. She flapped her hand at him in a gesture of dismissal. A hasty shake of her head silenced the question on the tip of Jaal’s tongue. He left her behind with a thoughtful frown.

Jaal followed Gil up the ramp and into the cargo hold. He listened with half an ear as he babbled about Lexi and the ship. He stepped round the cargo containers being secured by two more of their crewmates. Both were women, Jaal knew, from a quick glance at their ample cleavage. One was fair, dark-eyed, and had a mop of blonde hair.

She was human like Ryder.

“That’s Cora”, remarked Gil. “She’s the grumpy one”. Gil didn’t like the sullen expression on her face. “Cora this is Jaal. He’s our new crewmate, courtesy of Ryder. Be nice”.

“Yeah, yeah”, groused Cora. “Welcome aboard”.

She didn’t sound like she wanted him to feel welcome.

Gil rolled his eyes. “She’s always like that. Don’t worry”. He nodded to the bald blue-skinned woman helping Cora strap down a large cargo container. “And that helpful hand is Peebee. She’s an asari like Lexi”.

Peebee took one look at him and whistled.

“Oh, he’s pretty”.

Jaal’s throat flushed blue. “Thank you”.

She tried to take a step towards him, but Cora grabbed the back of her jacket. Peebee whined when Cora told her off.

“Oh, no you don’t. We have work to do. These containers need to be secured before we leave Aya. You can talk to Jaal later. We don’t have time for distractions”.

Jaal wasn’t sure if he liked the way Peebee ogled him.

He felt naked even with his clothes on.

“Aw! But he’s the first Angara we’ve met! Can’t I stop for five minutes and ask him a few questions?”

“No”.

“But, Cora!”

“I said No! Now hurry up and help me!”

A hard yank on her jacket made Peebee stumble.

“Hey! You don’t need to pull so hard! I’m not a dog you know!”

A swat on the rump made her jump, turn around, and clap her hands across her bottom.

Gil snickered when Peebee rubbed her arse.

“Cut it out! Goddess! You’re worse than Lexi!”

“Stop gawking at Jaal!” snapped Cora. “We have work to do!”

“All right! Sheesh!” groused Peebee. She steadied the cargo container Cora was strapping down. “See! I’m helping!”

“Finally! Do you know how revolting it is to see you making moon-eyes at the new guy? I know he’s pretty! I get it, Peebee! But for the love of the Goddess. Show some asari dignity!”

Peebee gasped. She was offended. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You were drooling”.

“I was not!”

Cora scoffed. “You are so in denial right now. Like serious denial”.

Peebee kicked the cargo crate.

Cora cursed when it moved and the strap she’d been fastening came undone.

“Shit! Hey! You’d better stop dicking around!”

“Or what?” snapped Peebee. “You gonna spank me?”

Cora scowled. “Don’t tempt me, Pelessaria”.

“Stop calling me that!”

“It’s your name, Miss. B’Sayle!”

Cora cursed when Peebee kicked the cargo container again. It slid and knocked her shoulder. Hard. 

“Ow! You, bitch! That hurt!”

“Good! I’m glad!” retorted Peebee. “Now you’ll think twice before smacking my ass again!”

Cora’s eye twitched. She grumbled to herself as she resumed tying down the cargo container. She raised a cautionary finger when Peebee bent to help her. The asari giggled. Cora glared.

“If you kick this thing one more time”, she warned. 

“You wanted my help. Stop whining. I’m helping”.

Gil urged Jaal to follow him while they bickered.

“Come on. Let’s go before they finish. And don’t worry. They argue all the time. If Cora wasn’t human, you’d think they were sisters. They act as if they’re related”.

Jaal was smiling as he listened to them argue. It was comforting to know Ryder’s crew treated each other like family. He’d glimpsed it in the way she’d interacted with Gil. She’d spoken to him as if he’d been a friend and a brother rather than a crewmate. Cora and Peebee were still squabbling as Gil led him across the cargo bay.

“Could you hit that for me?”

Jaal turned around and peered at the wall. He saw they were standing on a platform of some kind. He noticed a flashing circular light at waist-height. He pointed to it when Gil nodded. Jaal reached out tentatively at first. He touched the light with the tip of a finger.

“What did that-Oh!” he gasped when the floor lurched beneath his feet.

Jaal regained his bearings as the world shifted. The platform rose into the air and stopped when it reached the floor above. Gil stepped off first and walked passed a large window. It had the faintest glow as if it were reflective. Jaal paused to study it for a moment, gloved hands running over the odd material. 

It was solid and cool to the touch, but see-through like water turned to ice.

“Having fun?”

Jaal cleared his throat with a hoarse cough. He straightened and with great reluctance, peeled his hands off the window. The moment was awkward. He saw how Gil grinned. The engineer’s eyes were twinkling with amusement. 

“Yes”, he affirmed. “What is it made of?”

“It’s a special kind of tempered glass with nano-circuitry running through it. If you want specifics. You’ll have to ask Kallo. He helped design and build the Tempest with the original crew. I’m just the wrench-jockey that keeps this bucket-of-bolts flying”.

Jaal was fascinated when he gazed through the window into the room beyond. He stared at the gigantic silver sphere that was the heart of the Tempest. He saw wisps of white mist around it, steel pipes, and an odd shimmering blue light. He didn’t hear Gil call his name when he slipped passed him. Jaal moved through the open door and into Engineering. 

He marvelled at what Ryder’s people had built.

“This is amazing”.

He looked around the room with a smile. It was a mixture of greys, whites, and black. Utilitarian with little aesthetics. It lacked the fluidity of angaran engineering, but it was functional down to the bare bones. Jaal saw lights, pipes, extraction fans, and the vents of an air circulation system. 

Consoles were set up around the sphere. His fingers itched to touch them, to figure out their function, though he knew better than to try. Gil was leaning against the doorway with a smile on his face. Jaal was eager to ask him questions. He opened his mouth and paused mid-sentence when he heard a familiar sound.

“What is-How can this be?”

Jaal turned around, head cocking like a curious ahdi. He listened again. He heard a familiar hum. He pressed a finger to his lips, telling Gil to be quiet. Jaal approached the drive core with a sense of wonder.

The sphere grew larger the closer he came. It was gargantuan, alien, and seemed to glow inside a veil of glistening blue. Jaal was reminded of the restless lapping of water disturbed by the wind. The air around the sphere moved back and forth as if it were alive. The yellow lights upon it were like eyes boring into him.

Jaal swallowed, suddenly anxious. He felt as if he were being weighed and measured. It was humbling to think the Tempest was judging him. Jaal knew a drive core when he saw one. The heart of Ryder’s starship hummed that familiar tune again.

Jaal listened as only an Angara could. His eyes widened when he felt the pulsing of an electromagnetic field. It washed over and through him like water over rock. The fluidity was extraordinary as was the frequency and amplitude. It was soft like a dewdrop falling into a pond and sweet like the trilling of a bird at dawn. 

Jaal rocked on his feet, swaying back and forth, as he listened to the Tempest sing. He sniffled when the ship’s lullaby ebbed. The drive core quietened as its song came to a poignant end. Jaal’s eyes were watering as he approached the core. He laid a shaking hand upon the rail separating them.

“You have a beautiful voice”, he told the Tempest’s heart. “I didn’t think an alien ship could sing like an Angara. I am humbled to know otherwise. Thank you for welcoming me. I wondered if anyone would be happy I was here”.

The drive core pulsed again. This time it’s electromagnetic field was short, sharp, and full of relief. Jaal laughed until his cheeks bulged and his ribs ached. He was wiping tears from his eyes when Gil cleared his throat with an awkward cough. Jaal looked over his shoulder at the gaping engineer.

“Did you have a conversation with the drive core?”

Jaal nodded. “My people are able to sense bioelectric fields. The Tempest’s heart”. He gestured to the spherical drive core before him. “Generates a similar electric field to an Angara. It is stronger, more precise, and less-”. 

Jaal frowned as he tried to find the right word. It was difficult to explain something so natural to an alien. Humans, he was learning, weren’t wired like the Angara. Ryder hadn’t commented on his own fluctuating bioelectric field when they’d first met. He’d been as nervous as he’d been ecstatic.

Jaal suspected humans were unaware of such things.

“Moody?” offered Gil.

“Yes!” cried Jaal. “That is perfect!” His enthusiasm made the moment less awkward. “She is less moody and more composed. She has the temperament of a mother, a caretaker, because she sings so beautifully”.

Jaal noticed Gil frowning. 

“Are you all right?”

Gil gave the room’s various nooks and crannies a suspicious look. 

“No. I’m expecting something scary to jump out at me”.

“Why?”

Gil snorted. “Because what you did gave me the heebie jeebies. I didn’t hear a thing and there you are swaying on your feet like you’re at a rock concert. It’s downright spooky. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this bloody ship was haunted”.

“Oh”, said Jaal. “I hadn’t considered that”.

Gil groaned in annoyance. “Geeze. Now you sound like Ryder. All innocent and unsuspecting. Come on. Let’s get out of here before I start shitting bricks”.

Jaal gaped at him. He was bewildered. Humans shat bricks? He hoped they didn’t. The result would be messy, smelly, and downright unhygienic.

“Would shitting bricks not be painful?”

Gil was startled by his question. “What?”

“Shitting bricks”, repeated Jaal. “And are the heebie jeebies some kind of illness? It is contagious? Do I need to be vaccinated? I doubt your Milky Way medicine would work on me”.

Gil’s anxiety turned into amusement. He chuckled as he led Jaal out of Engineering. “More idioms. And don’t worry. Having the heebie jeebies means you’re anxious about something”.

Jaal followed with a frown on his face. “And shitting bricks?”

“Means the exact same thing. Although when a person says it”, reasoned Gil. “They’re not expecting to shit out an actual brick. It’s something they say to show how unsure they are”.

Now Jaal thought humans were weird. “How odd”.

“I know right?” agreed Gil. He waggled his eyebrows. “Believe me when I tell you. Humans say the strangest things. I mean for us it’s normal, but for you it must seem so – What’s the word?”

“Alien”, offered Jaal. 

Gil smirked. “Well from one alien to another. You’re going to fit right in. Welcome aboard the Tempest, Jaal. Oh, a word of warning”.

“Yes?”

“If you do end up falling in love with Ryder”.

Jaal’s throat flushed blue again. He was embarrassed by Gil’s assumption. He knew Ryder had been flirting with him. Her boldness, while refreshing, had seemed more playful than serious. Jaal doubted she was interested in him that way.

Ryder was being friendly.

It made sense. He was something of a novelty.

“I-er-Um”, mumbled Jaal. 

“Lost for words?” teased Gil. “I bet that’s a first. But listen. If you two do end up crossing that bridge. Be careful”.

“Why?” 

Gil grimaced. “Ryder didn’t have the best relationship with her Dad. What happened to her Mom is tragic too. Her brother isn’t in the best health either. So she’s a mess when it comes to her family”.

Jaal nodded. “I know about her father and her brother”. Ryder hadn’t mentioned her mother. Jaal wondered if there was more to her family than she’d told him. He supposed so since she’d been reluctant to talk about them.

“I will be respectful”.

Gil was relieved. “Thank you. Ryder puts on a brave face, but underneath she’s hurting. I’m hoping you can get her to open up about her feelings. I know Lexi hasn’t had much success and she’s a qualified shrink”.

“A what?”

“Oh. Idiom. Right. A shrink is a therapist. A kind of doctor for the mind”.

“Ah”, realised Jaal. “Like a confidante”.

Gil nodded. “That’s one way to look at it. Come on. Let’s get you settled in the Tech Lab. I’ll take you to Lexi after for that physical”.

Jaal smiled. “Let us go then. I would like to meet this Lexi. She sounds interesting”.

“Watch the needles. She likes giving her patients regular shots”.

“What?”

Gil laughed as he walked Jaal from the cargo bay into the hall beyond. “Lexi’s efficient. She’s also an expert in alien anatomy. And you being Angara might make her drool. Right, I should probably ask then”.

He seemed to think it was important.

“Do you want someone with you, like a support person, when Lexi does your physical?”

Jaal was surprised by his thoughtfulness. “I don’t know anyone aboard the Tempest, besides you and Ryder”.

“True. You don't know me that well. Hmm. Ryder might be the best choice. She is the Pathfinder”.

Jaal was startled the rush of relief in his chest. He didn’t trust her, but he was starting to like her. Ryder was easy to read for a human. Jaal thought it might be interesting to see how she’d behave if she were present during his physical. If he was to be part of her crew than she needed to be able to work with him on a personal and professional level.

“I would like that”.

Gil snorted. “I bet you would. I’ve seen that twinkle in your eye”.

“What twinkle?” retorted Jaal. “I have nothing in my eye”.

He knew what Gil was talking about. It was all too easy to forget Ryder was an alien. She had a way of making him feel at ease. She was as charming as she was disarming. Jaal wondered if she was aware of her own magnetism.

“Sure, Jaal. Sure. Come on. The Tech Lab’s this way. Oh, and if you see Drack. Tread lightly”.

“Ah, the Krogan”.

“Yeah”, confirmed Gil. “Can’t miss him. He’s old, grumpy, and the size of a small mountain. Ryder loves him. Drack’s kind of adopted her too. He treats her like, well”.

“Like family”, finished Jaal.

“Yeah. And if your people hurt her while she was on Aya”.

Gil’s silence spoke volumes.

“I see”.

“Sweet fucking hell”, cursed Gil. “Did Ryder get hurt while she was on Aya?”

Jaal nodded. “She was hit in the back with the butt of a rifle”.

Gil’s eyes narrowed. “Did you do it?”

Jaal shook his head. “No. It was a member of the city police”.

“Fuckity fuck. Drack’s gonna hit the fucking roof”.

“Is that bad?”

Gil groaned. “Buddy, it’s worse than bad. Drack’s a retired mercenary. So, he has a thing about law enforcers. They didn’t make his life easy when he was trying to do his job”.

“Oh”.

“Fuck. Word of advice. Don’t piss him off, Jaal. Seriously. And if you do. Run like hell”.

Jaal frowned. He didn’t like the idea of running from a fight.

Gil looked him in the eye. “Did Ryder tell you how old Drack is?”

“She did”.

“Did she tell you he knows how to clean, shoot, modify, and dismantle every gun and rifle imaginable?”

Jaal stared at him. “No”.

Gil nodded. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Drack has over a thousand years of battle experience. He also knows a fuck-tonne of nasty ways to kill a person. Everything from knives to swords to bullets in kneecaps. I repeat. Do not piss him off”.

Jaal swallowed. He was anxious now. Not even Evfra had that much combat experience. 

“I’ll be careful”.

“You’d better”, urged Gil. “Drack is protective of his family. The old man hasn’t said anything official, but everyone aboard knows he thinks a lot of Ryder. The crew treat her right and proper when he’s around. Follow our lead and you’ll be fine. I hope”.

Jaal felt dread sink into his gut again. He wasn’t sure if this Drack would accept him as part of the crew. If the Krogan was that close to Ryder. He could pose a problem. Jaal realised, in that moment, he’d have to earn his place aboard the Tempest.

He wondered if he was up to the challenge.

He hoped so.

He didn’t want to disappoint Evfra.


	6. Aboard the Tempest - Meeting the Crew P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaal meets Suvi and Drack whilst getting his bearings aboard the Tempest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Warning: This chapter contains foul language. Discretion is advised._

Jaal follows Gil like a wide-eyed child, staring at each room they pass through. Everything is new, strange, and exciting. He’s afraid of missing something important. The walls of Ryder’s ship are as odd as the screens welded to them. Jaal sees a hologram rotating above a console inside the room leading to the Tech Lab.

His guileless staring makes a member of Ryder’s crew smile. She is human, short like Ryder, and another female of her species. Try as he might to be polite – Jaal’s curiosity gets the best of him. His focus falls from her face to her chest. And he makes the same mistake (Ryder warned him about) by pointing at her cleavage.

“Oi! Watch it!”

A resounding smack on the hand brings Jaal back to his senses. He stops cold, finger hovering in the air, inches from her clavicle. Her disapproving scowl makes him self-conscious. Jaal turns a flustered shade of violet. He snatches his hand back and apologises.

“Skutting skutt! I am sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you!”

The way her eyes narrow makes Jaal sweat.

“You sure about that?”

A hasty nod doesn’t appease her.

“I saw what you were reaching for like a naughty boy”.

She folds her arms and glares at him.

Jaal treads carefully. “I was curious because Angara women don’t have those”. He nods to her cleavage inside her snug red and white shirt. “Ryder called them mammary glands”. He offers a hasty explanation. “And milk jugs and boobs and many other strange names”.

He takes a hasty step backward before she can kick him in the pills. He’s more afraid of the consequences than the impact. Jaal doesn’t want to send a report to Evfra stating he bruised his penile sheath. The why would be more embarrassing than the how. Jaal knows that diplomatic incidents of this kind are best avoided.

“Please don’t kick me in the testicles”.

The human female gasps. “I wouldn’t do that!”

“That’s not what Ryder said”.

Jaal takes a fortifying breath and hangs his head in shame. “I am sorry for what I did”. He is apprehensive when this strange human frowns. Ryder had looked that angry too when she’d first learned about the Kett. Jaal is surprised when he hears a snort and a giggle instead of the tongue-lashing he deserves.

“Now that’s Ryder for you. No manners at all”.

Her accent is as strange as her hair. She is fairer than Ryder and has fuzz the colour of an Ayan sunset on her head. Her eyes are a twinkling blue that reminds Jaal of flowing water and falling rain. He braces himself for the worst when she smiles. He isn’t sure if he’ll be on the receiving end of a retaliatory smack or punch.

Angara tend to be loud and heavy-handed when offended. Jaal expects the same blunt response from this human female. He is bewildered when she is compassionate and forgiving instead. Angara woman are never so accepting of such crude behaviour. It is strange to think she finds his actions more amusing than offensive.

“I don’t understand”, Jaal tells her. “You were angry before, but now you laugh. Are you not upset by what I did?”

“I was just surprised! Goodness! It’s all right!” Jaal flinches when she reaches out and pats his forearm. “I can tell from your face that you feel horrible for trying to fondle my chest. I’m not going to compound the guilt by making you feel worse for making an honest mistake”.

Jaal gasps in outrage. He is insulted that she thinks he’s a boorish brute. The assumption reflects badly on his upbringing. He thinks of his true-mother Sahuna and his other mothers’ and their large extended family. Manners were the first thing they taught him.

“I was pointing not fondling”, Jaal corrects with a disdainful sniff. “I am curious not a pervert. I know not to touch without permission. It was the first thing I learned as a child. I may be ignorant of your customs, but I am not an uncouth barbarian”.

He still had a measure of pride left despite his faux pas.

“And if my mistake was as terrible as Ryder said it would be”, he grumbles. “Shouldn’t you be angry rather than amused by this situation?”

Jaal can tell the moment she realises she’s stepped on his toes. She reddens and her eyes go wide in astonishment. She knows something has been lost in translation. He’s scowling. And she recovers with a graciousness that surprises Jaal. Her apology is immediate.

“You’re right”, she agrees. “You were pointing not fondling. Bad choice of words on my part. Sorry about that. I’m a scientist by trade not a diplomat. And I always blurt the first thing that pops into my head”.

Her apology makes him smile. “That is the most Angaran thing anyone has said to me since I boarded this ship”.

She’s shocked by his statement. “And why is that?”

“My people say what they feel”.

She’s curious now. “Is it an emotional response or a cultural one?”

“Both”, reveals Jaal.

“Care to elaborate?”

“No”.

She beams with a flash of white teeth. “Your honesty is refreshing. Most humans wouldn’t be that frank”.

Now Jaal is surprised. He finds the very idea bizarre. “How strange. Does that not cause misunderstanding?”

“All the time”.

He smirks and repeats her earlier question. “Would you care to elaborate?”

“I will”, she agrees. “If you tell me why you think I should be angry about you pointing at my chest”.

“Ah”, says Jaal. “I see. It was something Ryder told me when we first met. I pointed at her chest, out of curiosity, and I tried to ask her what those fleshy protrusions were. She said I should not have done what I did, though she didn’t explain why”.

“Right. And now you’re confused”.

“Yes”.

She taps her chin with a gloved forefinger and makes a statement. “And given your people are emotionally expressive. It would have been preferable – even expected – that I should’ve put my hands on my hips and yelled at you. Then you would’ve known exactly what I thought and felt about what you did. You could've made appropriate reparations, apologies, etcetera instead of being anxious and confused”.

Jaal sighed in relief. She finally understood. “Yes. Among my people such a response would be expected and appreciated”.

“I get it. Your people are direct whilst mine are more reserved. Humans can be emotionally constipated. So you’ll find working with some of us frustrating. Liam and Cora are extroverted, they’re more open, and outspoken about their feelings. While some like Ryder and myself are more introverted, more private, and a little shy”.

“I see”, he remarks though he really doesn’t. Even the quietest Angara are still expressive whether they’re happy, angry, or sad. He tries to empathise anyway. It’s who he is. “Ryder was evasive when I asked her certain questions. And Liam expressed his distaste for me becoming a member of the crew after what happened to Ryder on Aya”.

She claps a hand over her mouth in shock. “Was it bad?”

Jaal shrugs his shoulders. “Ryder is still alive. It could have been far worse”.

She doesn’t ask him for details. Her imagination fills in the blanks.

“For us all no doubt. Which is why Ryder’s our Pathfinder and not Liam or me”.

Her faith in Ryder amazes Jaal.

“You trust her”.

An emphatic nod takes his breath away. “Of course I do”.

Jaal is glad to see such loyalty amidst Ryder’s crew. Trust is a hard thing to earn among his own people. Evfra is a good example of Angaran caution. He knows it will be difficult for Ryder to win him over. The Kett have burned their bridges and left the Angara a legacy of fear and suspicion.

Ryder has a hard road to travel.

Jaal regards her red-headed crewmate with interest. He still finds her lack of umbrage unsettling after his grievous error. A female Angara would have spared neither his dignity nor his pride. Her fury would have been abrupt and bruising if she’d punched him. Jaal waits for this odd human female to react to his mistake. He grows more discomforted the longer she delays in delivering his rightful comeuppance.

“Are you going to yell at me?” he asks. When she frowns uncertainly, he sighs and reiterates his crime. “For the way I pointed at your chest”.

“Oh, I forgot about that”.

Jaal groans. “But we were talking about it”.

“Were we?”

She’s teasing him now. There’s a cheeky glint in her eye.

“Yes”, gripes Jaal. “If you yelled at me then I would know how you feel. I find it hurtful that you haven’t corrected me for my mistake. An Angara”, he insists. “Would have been more vocal and violent in her disapproval”.

The human continues to stare at him. “Well, I did slap you”.

Jaal nods. “Yes, but I still don’t understand why”. He looks at the very thing that had first fascinated him about Ryder. The roundness of this human female’s breasts are accentuated by the tightness of her shirt. Ryder’s jacket had been baggier, but he’d still noticed she hadn’t been built like an Angara.

Jaal is even more confused when his new acquaintance blushes. Ryder’s cheeks had turned that blotchy red too when she’d been embarrassed. Jaal wonders if he’s crossed the line without realising it. Has he made another error in judgement? He is almost in tears when she asks him a question.

“Have you seen Lexi?”

He answers with a whimper and a shake of his head. “No”.

She giggles again, this time in relief. “Well that explains the way you’re acting”.

Jaal isn’t sure if he should be offended again. “Does it?”

“It does”, she assures him. “Now I understand”. She is careful not to point at him as if he’s a thing and not a person. He’s already confused. She doesn’t want to make things worse.

“You don’t know about human etiquette, culture, or social norms. I’d be happy to answer your questions, but before we get into that. We should at least know each other’s names”.

Jaal notices how she lays a hand upon her chest above the breastbone. The gesture is oddly Angaran when she tells him her name. It has the same cadence as Ryder though it sounds different. Jaal is surprised when she speaks a second word in reference to herself. He wonders if humans have family names too.

“You are called, Suvi Anwar”, he repeats. “Suvi is your first name?”

“That’s right. Anwar’s my surname or family name if you like”.

“I see”, replies Jaal. “And do I call you by both or only the first?”

“Suvi’s fine”. She gestures to him with a flick of her fingers. “And you are?”

He mimics her earlier action and lays a hand on his chest. “I am Jaal Ama Darav, but you can call me Jaal. Ama Darav is my family name. It’s reassuring to know that our people have this much in common. I confess that I thought Gil’s name was Gil Brodie and not simply Gil”.

“He didn’t tell you?”

Jaal chuckles. Some of the awkwardness between them eases. It seems that Suvi knows Gil well judging from the smile in her face. She shakes her head. There is a twinkle in her eyes and she is more relaxed than before.

He is glad. “No. He was too busy educating me on what he called human slang”.

Suvi laughs. “Goodness. No wonder you’re confused. I’d be too. Tell me, Jaal. Do your people drink tea?”

“What is tea?”

Suvi beckons him as she turns away. “Oh, it’s the best thing in the world. It’s a hot beverage you sweeten with either sugar or honey. And it’s best sipped with something to eat like biscuits or cake. We don’t have either the biscuits or the cake – thanks to Liam – but we do have an ample supply of freeze-dried Earth fruits”.

Jaal ambles after her with little encouragement. Suvi has piqued his curiosity. Ryder hadn’t offered him the chance to dine with her. Suvi wanted to show him what passed for human food over a cup of tea. Jaal recalled what he’d learned so far and from whom.

Ryder had taught him about breasts and body-shape. Gil had introduced him to human slang and epithets. And now Suvi was ready to tell him about food and etiquette. Jaal was excited. He’d learnt more about these aliens in the last few hours than Evfra had in as many minutes.

“I would be interested to taste this tea and to see these freeze-dried fruits”.

Suvi claps her hands in delight. “Oh, good! I haven’t had a good chat with anyone for ages! Come on! Let’s head down to the Galley!”

She leads him out of the Research Room and into the corridor with that strange transparent floor. Jaal follows like a child, more intrigued than afraid. He senses Suvi is like an Angara too in her enthusiasm for socialising. He is comforted by the knowledge.

“No ladders”, she assures Jaal. “You’d never be able to place your feet on the rungs with your knees bending the way they do. It’d be downright painful. No, we’ll be sensible and go the long way around. Come on”.

Jaal is glad Suvi is willing to accommodate him. He takes one look at the ladders with their narrow steps and dual-bars and knows she’s right. The Tempest is built for humans not Angara. His knees are at too sharp an angle to fit between the ladder’s tight-fitting rungs. The thought makes Jaal grimace.

“Thank you”, he says. “That would be uncomfortable”.

Suvi nods and leads the way down the corridor. They chat about simple things to pass the time. Jaal notices how careful she is to avoid sensitive topics. She doesn’t ask about his family, Aya, or his work in the Resistance. She does work up the courage to ask one thing. She’s mortified when Jaal laughs.

“I am an Angara. And my people are Angara”.

“Oh. Right”, replies a pink-cheeked Suvi. “Sorry, I didn’t ask sooner. I kind of forgot. You’re real easy to talk too”.

He grins.

Suvi chortles. “Stop looking so smug”.

Jaal likes her already. “I cannot help it”, he teases. “It’s part of my natural charm”.

She snorts. “I bet it is”.

And that’s how Ryder finds them. She gawks as Suvi leads Jaal into the cargo bay. They don’t seem to realise she’s watching them as they move across the floor. They’re heading out the far door, still chatting amiably, when someone bumps Ryder’s shoulder. She frowns when Peebee whines.

“Oh! That’s so unfair! How come Suvi gets to talk to him?”

Peebee points at the pair leaving the cargo bay. They are out in the hall now and heading towards the Galley. Peebee puffs up like an irritable bullfrog. Ryder knows she’s about to hear more whining. Peebee is a pain when she gets a bee in her bonnet.

“And I wanted to ask him a few questions too!”

Ryder braces herself for the inevitable backlash of the asari’s temper. The tantrum is cut-off before it begins when the door on the walkway above them hisses open. A krogan steps through it and glares down at them. Peebee loses her second wind, frustration deflating like a punctured balloon. She flinches when Drack barks.

“Kid! Go help Cora!”

Their crewmate is still busy securing cargo containers in the Tempest’s hold.

“But”, protests Peebee. “I need to talk to Ryder”.

Drack bristles and his craggy lips curl in sullen disapproval. “I’m not asking!” He nods to their startled spectator. Cora has stopped what she’s doing. She watches them with wide-eyed incredulity.

Cora doesn’t know what’s going on. So she asks.

“Is everything all right, Drack?”

He huffs and bares his flat mammalian teeth. His canines are sharp and angular as he growls. He’s furious about something, though he doesn’t go into specifics. His annoyance makes the hair on the back of Ryder’s neck stand on-end. Her skin goose-pimples with apprehension.

Drack is only ever that grouchy when he’s pissed off.

“No!” he snaps. “It’s not all right! Is it, Ryder?”

Peebee scuttles away from her like a beetle. She makes a hasty escape – leaving Ryder to fend for herself – under Drack’s baleful golden eye. Ryder curses when the Tempest's engineer slips through the door behind him. Gil smiles and waves at her with feigned innocence. She notices his arms are empty, which means their Angara crewmate is finally settled in the Tech Lab.

And between doing that and giving Jaal a guided tour of the ship. Gil’s come across Drack and informed him of what happened on Aya. Ryder slides a thumb across her throat in a cutting motion. She glowers when Gil pokes his tongue out like a child. She hates it when he tattles on her between missions.

Being the Pathfinder is difficult enough without Drack breathing down her neck.

“You leave him alone!” snarls her krogan grandpa. “Gil did the right thing in coming to me! Someone has to keep an eye on you! You sure as hell don’t do it enough yourself! Now get your ass to the medbay!”

Drack jabs a clawed thumb over his shoulder. “Lexi’s waiting! And if you put her off – even for a second – I will drag you in there myself!”

Ryder knows better than to argue. She sighs and moves her feet. She’s across the cargo-bay floor and out the door when she hears Peebee snicker. She isn’t surprised Drack nails the asari to the wall. He doesn’t like it when people laugh at her expense.

“Shut your trap! Ryder could’ve been killed today! It’s not funny!”

Ryder hears Peebee’s muffled apology as the door slides closed behind her. “Sorry, Drack”.

He bellows in reply. “You should be! Kids theses days! No damned respect!”

Ryder thinks for a blessed second that she’s escaped Drack’s temper. She walks down the hall that will take her into the middle of the ship. She heads towards the door – under the walkway – leading to the bridge. She thinks she’s home-free until she hears a resonant bang. The door slides open to reveal her favourite grumpy krogan.

She groans in annoyance. “Damn it, Drack. Kallo hates it when you jump off the walkway”.

“Why? He is scared I’ll dent his precious ship?”

“Yes”, confirms Ryder.

“Well then he should say so”.

“You know he won’t. Kallo’s too smart to piss you off”.

“Salarians”, scoffs Drack. “No backbone”.

Ryder knows he’d intentionally cut off her escape to the Pathfinder’s quarters. She could lock herself inside and ignore him for hours. Drack couldn’t climb the ladders outside the bridge. His knees bent the wrong way like Jaal’s. But he could drop down from the walkway – as he was wont to do – when he was in a hurry.

His trick often allowed him to catch Ryder unawares.

“All right, fine”, capitulates Ryder. “You’ve got me. Now where am I going?”

“Stop playing deaf. I know you heard me”. He glares at her. “Medbay. Now”.

“I’m fine”.

“You’re a lying, pyjack”, reproves Drack. “I know what happened with those Angara when you were planetside. You need a check-up”.

Ryder steps towards the wall of concerned krogan. She raps her knuckles on his breastplate and waits for him to move. He responds by giving her a brief once over. His golden eye rolls as he makes certain – by sight – that she’s not bleeding from anywhere. Ryder waits when he sticks his snout in her face.

She knows it’ll be worse if she makes excuses.

Drack takes several cursory sniffs, nostrils flaring. He eyes Ryder like a peeved parent. He is full of suspicion when she doesn’t protest. He nods in satisfaction after a minute. He steps back when Ryder asks.

“So, smell anything interesting?”

“You reek of that alien”.

Ryder doesn’t need to ask who he means.

“He’s Angara and his name is Jaal”.

“I don’t give a shit”, says Drack. “But at least you’re not dying. I can’t smell the stink of human blood. You’re still hurt though”.

Ryder rolls her eyes. “Gil told you about the rifle in the back?”

“You’re damned right he did”.

“Fuck”.

Drack nods to the door on his left. The words – Med Bay – are emblazoned in white above it. Ryder takes the hint and steps out into the hall. SAM – her personal AI – chimes in on their private channel. She hears him scold her too despite his neutral tone.

_Drack is right. You should see Dr. T’Perro. An injury, however minor, could become a hindrance if left untreated._

“Thanks, SAM”, mutters Ryder. “He agrees with you, Drack”.

“Good”.

“You don’t need to look so damned smug about it”.

“Stop whining and get inside”.

“Yeah, yeah”, complains Ryder. “I’m going all ready”.

Drack watches her like a hawk as she crosses the floor. He isn’t satisfied until she’s knocking on the medbay door. It slides open with a whoosh of cold air. Drack waits for her to step inside. Ryder hesitates for a moment before giving-in.

“Okay”, she grumbles. “Fine. You win, old man”.

Drack snorts. “I always win”.

Lexi is waiting for her. She gestures for Ryder to take a seat on a bed. She shakes her head in disapproval when her patient reluctantly complies. Ryder shuffles across the room, feet dragging like a petulant child. She plonks herself down on the edge of a bed with a scowl.

“Can we get this over with already”, whinges Ryder. “I have shit, I need to do”.

“Watch your mouth!” snaps Drack.

Ryder pouts. “Sorry, Lexi”.

“That’s better”.

Drack’s multitude of hearts flutter inside his chest when Lexi smiles.

“Thank you for bringing Ryder to me”, she tells him. “I’ll check her over and make sure she’s all right”.

“Thanks, Lex”.

Lexi’s eyes twinkle. “If you could tell Jaal – I’d like to see him in an hour – I’d appreciate it”.

He nods and glances down the hall. The door to the medbay closes as Lexi returns to her sanctuary with her patient in hand. Drack eyes their newest crewmate. He’s tall, broad-shouldered, and looks bluish-purple like an asari. His complexion isn’t the only thing familiar about him.

His knees bend the way a krogan’s does and his feet are short and flat with fused toes. His fingers are fused as well, judging from his gloves. Jaal reminds him of an asari, a drell, and a cat with those large luminous blue eyes. Drack can tell he’s on-guard. The Angara returns his scrutiny with the patience of a hunting varren.

Drack is amused by his bravado. It’s obvious this boy has never fought a Krogan. He’s puffed up like an angry Klixen. Drack doesn’t doubt he’d shriek like one too. He’s at least smarter than those giant flying bugs – he hasn’t flown into a rage.

Jaal hasn’t given him a reason to shoot him.

Yet.

“My girl went down onto your planet unarmed and without backup”, growls Drack. “And your people still hurt her. I won’t forget it. Watch yourself. If you’re stupid enough to stab Ryder in the back down the road. I’ll kill you”.

Drack hears Suvi gasp. She’s pale and shaking as she leans against the Galley door.

“Gil warned me about you”, replies Jaal. “He told me to not to antagonise you”.

“Good advice. Remember it. Krogan have a nasty habit of holding grudges. You look after Ryder – we won’t have a problem. You fuck with her, break her heart, or make her cry. I’ll have reason enough to break your face”.

Drack chooses the moment Suvi ushers Jaal into the Galley to tell him about his appointment.

“Suvi”.

“Yes, Drack?”

“You’ve got an hour to entertain him”.

“Oh?” she asks with a noticeable tremor in her voice. “You’re not going to kill him now, right?”

Drack chuckles. “Not today. Lexi wants to see him for his physical”.

Suvi nods warily. “Right. I’ll make sure he’s on time”.

“You do that”.

Jaal is reluctant to follow her until she tugs on his hand.

Drack hears her hiss.

“Come on! You said you didn’t want to make him mad! So let’s go!”

Jaal lingers a moment longer before ambling after her into the Galley.

“All right”, he says. “Isharay, Drack”.

Drack frowns in confusion. He isn’t sure if he’s being farewelled or threatened. He takes a moment to think about what Jaal said. He chuckles. The boy had balls and a backbone match.

“The cheeky bastard. That’s one way to tell me, I don’t know shit about him or his people”. Drack snorts. “And now I’ll have to be polite and earn his trust. Or he’ll never tell me what this Isharay means”.

Drack grimaces. “Kids these days. No damned respect for their elders”. He glares at the ceiling and shakes his head. “I’m getting too old for this shit”.


	7. Aboard the Tempest - Meeting the Crew P3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending time with Suvi, Jaal makes his way to his appointment with Lexi. Unfortunately for him, a mishap with Ryder ends up with a live light show, and a little physical discomfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains light citris, lots of innuendo, and some profanity. Discretion is advised.
> 
> Edited with extended scenes and dialogue. And minor corrections.

In the hour spent with Suvi, Jaal learns about tea and samples pieces of freeze-dried fruit from Earth. He likes what Suvi calls peach and pineapple best. The fruit tastes like Paripo and reminds him of special occasions spent with his family. He misses his true-mother Sahuna and his many aunts, cousins, and siblings. He hasn’t been home to see them in months.

And now he’s aboard an alien ship, learning about an alien culture.

It’s exciting and makes him feel homesick.

“Jaal”, calls Suvi. “Are you all right?”

She packs away their impromptu feast inside little plastic containers. The leftover fruit is placed inside a cooling unit she calls a refrigerator, and the teacups are put in the sink. Jaal offers to help her clean up, but Suvi waves him away with a smile. She washes and wipes their cups and plates as he watches with a wistful expression on his face. Although Jaal is loathe to admit it.

Suvi reminds him of his true-mother.

“I’m fine”, he lies.

And like Sahuna, Suvi is more perceptive than he expects.

“Now that’s untrue”, she tells him as she stashes their cups and plates inside a cupboard. “I know a sad face when I see one. And If I didn’t know any better”, she states. “I’d say you were missing home. And your family”.

Jaal sighs. “Is my melancholy that obvious?”

Suvi nods. “Don’t worry. You’re not the only one aboard that misses someone you love”. Her smile is soft and sad and full of understanding. “You’re at least luckier than the rest of the crew”.

He frowns. “How?”

Her explanation makes his heart sink.

“You didn’t leave home six hundred years ago and wake up alone in another galaxy. My entire family is dead. It’s been hard to accept, but deep down a part of me knows it’s true. You see, Jaal. Humans can live up to one hundred years if they’re in good health. And a few decades more if they’re genetically engineered to have a longer lifespan”.

Suvi sighs. “Not that either of my parents believed in genetic alteration. The science has its merits, certainly, but there are always risks”.

Jaal is perturbed by the idea of genetic manipulation. He cannot believe humans would be so cruel. As an Angara is it abhorrent for him to imagine a scientist tinkering with genetics. The possibility offends him as much culturally as it does personally. A person – adult or child – should be cherished despite their flaws.

No one is meant to be perfect.

“Genetically engineered?” spits Jaal. He grimaces. He is reminded of their common foe. “Your people sound like the Kett in their irreverence for life”. He shakes himself like a dog treading water.

The all-over-body-shiver upsets Suvi. She knows disgust when she sees it.

“It’s not like that at all! We value life!”

“I wouldn’t know if you were lying or telling the truth”, says Jaal. “My experience with your kind is limited as is my knowledge of your people and their history”. Jaal shakes his head. “The same can be said of you regarding the Angara”. He does his best to dampen the feelings of mistrust and revulsion.

Suvi has done nothing to earn his ire. She’s been a pleasant hostess and a patient teacher. Jaal still finds it difficult not to jump to conclusions. He knows Suvi is a scientist by trade. Her analytical mind has already dissected what little he’d told her about his people.

Jaal wonders if his openness was a mistake. Was it dangerous to be friendly with a person like Suvi? He is unsure. There are too many uncertainties, so he chooses pragmatism over common sense. Good reconnaissance often improved the odds of success.

Evfra had made his mission clear.

Jaal refused to fail.

He offers Suvi a compromise. “I can be objective”, he promises. “I am here to learn. And your success in Heleus, and that of your people, will be coloured by my own experiences. I will not allow ignorance – on my part – ruin what could become an alliance against the Kett”.

Suvi swallows when Jaal looks her in the eye. He searches her face for the slightest hint of deceit. The Kett have lied to his people since they came to Heleus. Eighty years of bad blood has made them enemies. Jaal wonders if the Initiative will be better or worse than the Archon and his minions.

He hopes for his people that they are better. The Angara cannot afford to make another enemy. Jaal knows his generation faces extinction. Too many of them are casualties of war. And most members of the Resistance die before they can bondmate and have children.

Jaal wonders if he’ll live long enough to fulfil his true-mother’s fondest daydream. He entertains the thought of a mate and family for a single wistful moment. It passes with a sigh of resignation as he focuses on the task at hand. He wonders if Suvi will continue to accommodate him. He hopes to make their tea parties a regular thing.

“Would you be willing to continue teaching me about your people, Suvi?”

She swallows with a nervousness that Jaal understands. He had been anxious when he had first enlisted in the Resistance. Evfra had looked at him with that same cold calculus. And Jaal knows that Suvi is beginning to realise she's a cog in the ever-revolving wheel of fate too. Nothing is certain and all things are possible.

Their destinies aren’t written in stone.

“I’d be comfortable with that even if I don’t trust you yet”, Suvi admits whilst biting her lip. “And I was being friendly – before – because I had an ulterior motive”. Suvi frowns. And Jaal is amazed when she chooses honesty over flattery.

He appreciates her candour.

“It wasn’t out of politeness. I wanted to get my own read on you”. Suvi gestures to him with a half-hearted smile. “I’m a scientist. I hypothesise, test, analyse, and draw conclusions based on what I observe”.

“And?” prompts Jaal. “What do you think of me?”

Suvi purses her lips and whistles. She gestures to his rofjinn and skin-tight bodysuit. The armour worn by all members of the Resistance leaves little to the imagination. The belts, buckles, and pouches Jaal uses to store firaan blades and ammo captivate her. He blushes when she compliments him.

“You speak with a sincerity that’s genuine. It’s disarming and sweet and leaves a person intrigued by your exoticness. The fact that you’re handsome and well-built gives you a natural advantage too. Humans, turians, and asari will find you attractive. Salarians will be more interested in your culture, language, customs, and society”.

“So”, jokes Jaal. “Three quarters of your people will want to mate with mine”.

Suvi nods. “If other Angara are as pretty as you. Definitely”.

“Oh. You were being serious”.

“Of course I was”.

Suvi giggles when Jaal turns shy. He averts his eyes and twiddles his thumbs. She finds his self-consciousness adorable. He has gone from being a scary adult Angara to an awkward little boy. His innocence makes her coo.

“Aw! You’re precious! And with those gorgeous big blue eyes! Oh! You’re like a fluffy blue space kitty!”

Jaal shuffles his feet. He feels even more awkward now. He knows there is nothing fluffy about him. His skin is smooth and silky and thick like leather. There is not a hair on him from head to toe.

He thinks it’s best not to tell Suvi about his lack of that essential mammalian trait. She is staring with wide-eyed wonder as if she wants to cuddle him. Jaal chooses the lesser of two evils. He doesn’t know what a kitty is nor does he care. All he knows – with a fearful desperation – is that he must escape Suvi’s clutches.

“I should leave”, he tells her. “Now”.

Jaal gapes when her smile fades. Her mouth turns down unhappily and her eyes are glistening. Jaal is horrified she might cry. He is up and out of his seat before Suvi can shed a tear. He flees with a convenient excuse.

“I cannot be late for my appointment with Lexi”.

His smile is tight when he runs for the door. “Thank you for the tea and the fruit. I hope we can do this again another time”. He is gone in a swirl of blue fabric, rofjinn rustling. Jaal leaves a confused Suvi behind.

“Well that’s one way to cut and run”, she muses aloud. “I must have spooked him”.

Jaal is down the hall like a flash of blue lightning. He bowls over Ryder in his haste to get into the Medbay. She is stepping through the open door when Jaal tries to dart through it. Ryder smacks into his chest with a squeal of surprise. Jaal catches her when she stumbles and falls backward.

“Ryder! Careful!”

Jaal thinks nothing is amiss when he brings her tight to his chest. He pats her shoulders as Ryder finds her feet. He smiles when she is standing on solid ground again. Jaal hopes he hasn’t damaged her. He’s relieved when Ryder speaks.

“Um. Could you let me go?”

“You’re not hurt?”

“No. I was just startled. You came out of nowhere”.

Jaal apologises. “I’m sorry”.

“It’s all right”, Ryder assures him. “I’m fine. No harm done”.

He isn’t convinced. “Can you stand on your own?”

She nods. “I'm good”.

Jaal unwinds his arms and takes a step backward. His fused fingers remain on Ryder’s shoulders. He isn’t sure she’s telling the truth. He recalls what Suvi told him. Humans are emotionally constipated and prone to telling lies.

“You’re certain?”

“Yeah”, says Ryder. “Um, you’re crowding my space”.

Jaal knows she’s lying when he feels a spike in her bioelectric field. Jaal is startled by the revelation that he and Ryder have something in common. He had thought her incapable of generating and storing electricity in her body. She hadn’t seemed to notice his agitation when they’d first met. Jaal is bewildered by the maelstrom he senses brewing beneath her skin.

Ryder’s insistence concerns him. “You need to let me go”.

“You’re upset. I can feel it”.

“Jaal! Please! Let me go!”

He frowns. “But I can help”.

He stares when energy radiates from her like light from a lantern. Ryder’s skin glows a lurid blue. Jaal is astonished by her resemblance to a blushing Angara. The similarity ends there when he sees her eyes. Ryder’s pupils and irises are a bewitching electric-blue.

Jaal is mesmerised. “How beautiful. You shine like a newborn star”.

His compliment shocks her.

“What?” cries Ryder. “You’re crazy!”

Jaal sees her stiffen when his hands slip from her shoulders. Ryder is tense as a coiled spring when he cups her cheek. Her posture is rigid, her shoulders stiff. She is uncomfortable with him fussing over her like an ornery mother-hen. Jaal is worried. Ryder seems so small and vulnerable without her jacket.

The baggy fabric is gone and in its place is a slinky form-fitting tank-top. It looks soft and silky. Jaal wonders how it would feel against his skin. He is tempted to pull off a glove and find out when Ryder flinches. He glances at her face – gauging her reaction.

Jaal is astonished when she gawks at him. Ryder’s eyes are wide and disbelieving. The anxious furrowing of her brows tells him how uneasy she is. Jaal reacts as only an Angara can. He releases a stream of bioelectricity – meant to soothe a troubled soul.

The result is as scandalous as it is spontaneous.

Ryder groans, back arching. Her biotics flare in response, crackling like lightning. Jaal gasps when she grinds against him. He releases a second pulse of bioelectricity and Ryder’s biotics spark from blue to violet. The lights flash on and off, plunging the Medbay in darkness, and then in bright blinding white.

Ryder moans.

Jaal is breathing hard.

And poor Lexi is cursing as their electrical interplay builds to dangerous levels.

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! _Shit_!”

Several pieces of medical equipment report an error on-screen. Some beep and flash red lights in warning. The noise rouses Ryder from her stupor. Her eyes open and she spots Lexi at a terminal tapping away at a holographic keyboard. She gets the gist of what’s happening when more error messages flash across the screen.

The beeping gets louder and the medbay lights sizzle.

Ryder can smell burning plastic. She lifts her shoulders, head turning. She goes quiet when she sees Jaal. The pupils of his eyes are huge, black, and bottomless. His irises are thin blue crescents.

“Jaal”, she calls. “Are you all right?”

His fingers dig into her hips. His voice is rough and full of want. “Temptress. You feel incredible”.

Ryder reddens. Lexi swears. And Jaal has trouble focusing. He can feel the biotic energy coming off Ryder in waves, each rawer and wilder than before. It’s unlike an Angara’s gentler bioelectric field.

Ryder is akin to a roiling storm ready to implode. Jaal bears the brunt of her fury until he takes matters into his own hands. His response is intuitive. Seconds pass as he matches Ryder pulse for pulse, bioelectricity humming.

The connection between them is intense and pleasurable in its brevity. Jaal can feel the biotics bathing his skin, pass for pass, in a thousand tiny kisses. Sparks fly as he returns the favour. Ryder arches again, back curving, and head dipping low. The slender slope of her throat is exposed and Jaal leans forward on instinct.

He wants to sink his teeth into that soft tempting skin. He holds her aloft – hands sliding across her back – arms locking around her waist. He buries his face in her clavicle. His nostrils flare and he inhales, memorising her scent. Ryder smells like fire, lightning, and something strange that sets his blood aflame.

Her alienness is intoxicating.

Jaal grits his teeth and resists the urge to mark her skin. The primitive drive is distressing. Ryder is not Angara. Jaal is appalled that he desires her. He is loathe to admit that his true-mother’s prediction might be right.

He may end up bondmating an alien. And Ryder fits the bill in more ways than one. She is as exotic to him as he is to her. Jaal can't believe he is entertaining the thought of pursuing her romantically. They had only met this morning.

“Skutting skutt!” growls Jaal. “I need to sit before I fall!”

He releases a wave of bioelectricity, dropping to his knees. He bears Ryder to the ground with a grunt. She is gorgeous in her ecstasy, eyes closed and lips pursed. Jaal sees a flash of white teeth and the glistening slide of her tongue. He groans when Ryder lashes him with a brazen blue burst of biotics.

Minutes pass in a tense hushed silence. The light show dissipates in a spark and crackle of bioelectricity and biotics. Jaal collapses atop Ryder, face buried in her chest. He doesn’t care if she takes offense. The soft swell of her cleavage is a comfortable pillow.

He comes down hard, shoulders slumping. His chest is heaving as if he’s run a mile in a minute. He feels as if his skin has been raked raw. His senses are dull to everything, but the smell and feel of Ryder in his arms. Her breasts rise and fall as she pants like an exhausted ahdi.

“Fuck”, she swears. “Did I? – Wait a minute”. She wriggles her hips and sighs. “Yup. I did. I so need to take a shower”.

Jaal chuckles. He is relieved she isn’t mortified by their impromptu foreplay. Among Angara a display of bioelectrical intimacy is often a prelude to sex. Jaal doubts Ryder will drag him back to her quarters and disrobe him. His awakening is rude when her shoulders roll.

Her back arches again.

Jaal feels Ryder’s fingers slip underneath his chin. Her hands are small and soft and her wrists are rail-thin. She is as delicate as a fragrant tavelaar flower. Jaal is too tired to protest when Ryder runs her thumb over his lower-lip. He sees her face and he is lost.

“You are so beautiful”.

Her eyes still have that biotic-blue sheen, though her skin is a flustered pink. Jaal knows she’s blushing when she smiles shy and sweet. He thinks she might kiss him when she leans inward. Her mouth is a hairsbreadth from his own when someone growls.

“Don’t even think about it, Ryder!”

Their voice flanges with disapproval.

“You two aren’t blowing another power relay on my watch! Gil is pissed! It’ll take him hours to swap out the switches and replace the wiring! And then he has to retest the power systems and help Lexi check her medical equipment! And let’s not forget that he has to install new circuit-breakers too!”

Ryder is more annoyed than disappointed.

“Vetra! It’s not like that between Jaal and I! And Gil’s an engineer! He’s supposed to check the power replays and calibrate the power systems! You’re making what happened sound way worse than it is!”

A flanging snort makes Jaal flinch. He and Ryder are still in a compromising position. He is on the floor, legs splayed, and she is sitting in his lap. Jaal soon realises how they must look when Ryder’s knees dig into his hips. Her ankles – he learns when her heels bump against the small of his back – are crossed behind him.

“I saw the light show”, retorts Vetra. “And so did half the ship. You’re lucky I asked SAM to lock the cargo bay doors. Peebee was trying to sneak down here while you two were having sex with your clothes on. And Drack isn’t happy you’re fornicating with the new guy”.

Jaal tries to save face by being snarky.

“We were not engaged in coitus”.

“Not yet”, retorts Vetra. “I can see your hard-on from here”.

Jaal lifts his nose in the air and sniffs. She may have caught him with his pants up, but that doesn’t mean he has to acknowledge it. He refuses to give Vetra the satisfaction of seeing him cringe. He is an adult not a child. And Ryder is an adult too.

Or so he thinks.

Jaal hopes she’ll bolster his defence. He’s surprised when Ryder turns from her crewmate to him. She stares at his face, takes a deep breath, and glances downward. Slowly. Jaal knows the moment she sees the tent in his pants.

Her eyes bulge and her brows arch into her hairline.

“Fuck me. That thing is bigger than I thought it would be”.

A fourth voice joins their conversation.

“He’s aroused, Ryder. Male turians double in girth when fully erect. The same is true in human men, though to a lesser degree. I’m sure Jaal will share some physical similarities even if his anatomy is different. And if the Angara exhibit traits of sexual dimorphism – the mechanics of sex will be similar too”.

“Great”, whines Ryder. “Now I’m thinking about angaran penises”.

“I was only trying to help”, says Lexi. “Oh dear. Did I make you uncomfortable, Jaal?”

“Yeah”, grimaces Vetra. “He’s uncomfortable all right. I’m glad I don’t have a dick. My armour’s not roomy enough to fit something that big in it. I almost feel sorry for him”.

“Vetra!”

“I'm turian, Ryder. I call it like I see it. And in Jaal’s case that’s literal”.

“It’s not funny!”

“I'm wincing not laughing”.

Lexi intervenes with a stern reprimand. “That’s enough! Vetra go and help Gil! And Ryder! Calm down!”

The asari doctor makes Jaal flush violet. He had forgotten all about her. And he’d been due for a physical exam too. He realises with horrifying clarity that Lexi has witnessed what he's done with Ryder. Jaal is mortified.

And he does the most sensible thing imaginable. He grips Ryder’s thighs and shoves her away.

“Hey! Ow! Jaal!” she squeals as he dumps her on the floor. “Wait!”

Jaal scrambles to his feet and turns fast enough to give himself whiplash. The tail of his rofjinn smacks him in the face. He barrels out the medbay door. He almost tramples Vetra as he escapes into the hall. He sees a pink-cheeked Suvi and an enraged Drack outside the Galley.

“YOU!” bellows the Krogan. “GET BACK HERE!”

Drack charges down the hall and Jaal bolts into the nearest room. He almost trips over another of Ryder’s crewmates. The slender creature introduces himself and jabs a thumb over his shoulder. Jaal looks to where he points. He’s relieved when he spots the white-washed walls of a utilitarian wash-room.

“Kallo Jath. I pilot the ship. If you want some privacy, the bathroom is that way”.

“Thank you!” cries Jaal.

He dashes through the crew-quarters and into the adjoining room.

Kallo activates his omnitool. He takes pity on Jaal and locks the bathroom doors behind him. He waits while Drack storms into the crew-quarters, scowling. Kallo takes pride in his subterfuge when the old krogan barks. Kallo doesn’t often catch him off-guard.

“You’re helping that pyjack”.

Kallo nods. “Of course I am. I’d rather avoid a diplomatic incident. Jaal is an envoy for his people aboard this ship. And regardless of what happens between him and Ryder. I can’t let you kill him”.

Drack rolls a baleful golden eye. Some of his anger ebbs when Kallo stands up to him.

“And Ryder likes him. They might be good together given time, if you don’t interfere. She does need a stabilising force in her life. And being bondmated would be better for her than being alone. And right now – as the Pathfinder – Ryder is very much alone”.

Drack snarls. “You cheeky, little shit”. He jabs a clawed finger at the closed bathroom door. “That Angara’s romp with Ryder blew two power-relays. And he could’ve started a fire in the Medbay. Lexi’s medical equipment was almost fried too”.

“That pyjack”, warns Drack. “Is a walking EMP pulse waiting to happen”.

The nonchalant shrug of Kallo’s shoulders annoys him.

“That’s why Gil will be installing circuit breakers. And you're being overly dramatic, Drack. The power relays are repairable and Jaal's romp with Ryder only melted a few light fittings. We have spares for a reason. And as for Lexi’s medical equipment. She’ll be too excited by SAM’s readings to care about the damage”.

Drack sighs. He hates to admit it, but Kallo is right. His secret admirer will be too enamoured with Jaal to bother with him for a while. Lexi is a specialist in alien anatomy. And her thesis on Krogan mating habits had come in handy with his clan too.

“Well”, he replies. “I suppose I can let that pyjack off this once. He didn’t actually mate with Ryder even if he did blow her biotic mind. I owe Lexi too. Her research helped the Nakmor clan females feel more comfortable around the males. And no one’s died in weeks”.

“Well, that’s good news”.

“It is”, agrees Drack. “Krogan females have nasty tempers when they’re pissed off. Ryder’s bad too when she’s got a bone to pick. I've seen her tear the head clean off a Wraith after its ghosted up behind her. She hates the damn things”.

“Speak of the devil”, quotes Kallo. “And she will appear. Hello, Ryder”.

Drack snorts when Ryder pops into the crew-quarters. He doesn’t like the way she eyes him as if he’s done something unforgivable. He nods to the closed bathroom door. Her sigh of relief irks him. Drack is quick to complain.

“Stop sighing like that! I didn’t kill him!”

“Oh! Thank goodness! We don’t need a diplomatic incident right now!”

Kallo chuckles, but holds his tongue. He knows a ‘told-you-so’ might prove fatal.

“You’re as bad as Lexi!”, grumbles Drack. “Stop fawning over that bald blue pyjack!”

Ryder takes immediate offense. “I’m not fawning! I’m concerned for Jaal’s safety!”

“Of course you are, Pathfinder”, teases Kallo. “And I’m sure he appreciates it too”. Kallo reads a message on his omnitool. He chuckles. “Well, well. Vetra says you almost kissed Jaal”.

“We didn’t kiss!”

“Thanks to Vetra’s timely intervention”, rumbles Drack. “Or you would’ve given Lexi a live demonstration of Angara-Human mating habits”.

Ryder opens her mouth to argue. She snaps it shut when a loud moan and several sharp grunts rip through the crew-quarters. Her cheeks burn when a second throaty wail ends their conversation. It’s so quiet the crickets are chirping. Ryder groans and buries her face in her hands.

Kallo breaks the ice. “And I bet we all know what Jaal’s doing right now. We’ll need to sanitise the showers again when he’s finished”.

Drack snickers. “You’ve got balls, salarian”.

Kallo smirks. “Of course I do. But I only bring them out on special occasions”.

Ryder tries and fails not to smile.

Drack laughs. “Smartass”.

“I try”, says Kallo. “And Ryder. I have a message from Evfra”.

She frowns. “What is it?”

“He wants his landing pad back. Apparently we’re clogging Aya’s airspace. Again”.

Ryder rolls her eyes. “What a grumpy old bastard”.

“He is”, seconds Kallo. “I had to tell him three times that I don’t have the authority to move the ship. I’m the pilot not the Pathfinder. Evfra glared at me for five minutes over the vid-comm. I thought I was going to spontaneously combust”.

Drack snorts. “I like him already”.


	8. Aboard the Tempest - Meeting the Crew P4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaal meets SAM and gets stuck in the bathroom. Ryder helps him out, blushes, and they work things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Chapter contains light citrus, implied intimacy, innuendo, and cursing. Discretion is advised.

Jaal hears a gentle rapping on the bathroom door. He grimaces and wrings the water from his rofjinn. He’d used it to towel off in the absence of having proper bathing supplies. He scowls when the rapping continues. He’s already upset over what happened with Ryder.

Such intimacy isn’t meant to be a public spectacle.

Gossip spreads like wildfire.

Jaal suspects everyone aboard the Tempest knows about their fornications. And if they'd missed the light show, they would’ve worked out the details. Jaal knows his moaning had been loud, wanton, and full of desperation. The heat of the moment had gotten the best of him. Jaal is more angry than revolted.

He hears that insistent rapping again. His eye twitches and he turns with sudden fury. He flings his rofjinn at the door with a wet smack. He glares when it falls on the floor in a sodden heap. He barks a sharp rebuke.

“Go away!”

The rapping ceases to his relief, but someone intervenes. Jaal looks around the bathroom when a voice speaks to him. Its tone is neutral though it has a depth that’s masculine. The voice is pleasant if a little emotionless, as if its owner were bored. Jaal is startled when it calls him by his family name again.

“Mr. Ama Darav. I apologise for the disturbance, but the Pathfinder would like to speak to you”.

“Who are you?” demands Jaal. His eyes narrow in suspicion when the voice introduces itself.

“I am known by the acronym S.A.M – Simulated Adaptive Matrix. Many organics often assume my title is my name. The Pathfinder and the crew for example call me SAM. You are welcome to do the same. And you needn’t search for me inside the bathroom, Mr. Ama Darav”.

Jaal scours the bathroom regardless. He looks inside the showers and then the toilet stalls. He is scowling when SAM neither laughs at his expense nor materialises. Jaal knows he was alone inside the bathroom when he first entered. Now he isn’t so sure.

“Where are you? I can hear you, but I cannot see you”.

SAM provides a logical explanation.

“I do not have a mobile platform, Mr. Ama Darav”.

“A what?”

“A physical body”.

Jaal gasps. “Are you dead?” He thinks he might be crazy when SAM explains.

“No, Mr. Ama Darav”.

“Are you a spirit?”

SAM’s patience unnerves him.

“No, Mr. Ama Darav”.

Jaal’s patience is wearing thin. “Then what are you?”

“I am an artificial intelligence”, explains SAM. “An AI”.

“A machine?”

“I assure you, Mr. Ama Darav. I am capable of more complex computations than an industry-grade waste recycling unit”.

Jaal is bewildered by the gentle reprimand. He has trouble believing a machine can be insulted. Can this SAM have a sense of personal dignity? The Remnant machines guarding the ancient ruins of Havarl don’t speak. Jaal has experienced their hostility first-hand. He knows a single scan turns into a flash of red light and often ends with laser-fire.

Jaal apologises on reflex. “I am sorry”. He flounders for a moment, unsure of what to say. Could comparing SAM to a Remnant machine be considered rude? Jaal is surprised when SAM forgives his error in judgement.

“Apology accepted. You needn’t worry, Mr. Ama Darav. I am not offended by your assumption. From your reaction when we first spoke. I could tell you had neither met nor conversed with an AI”.

Jaal sighs in relief. “That is true”. He doesn’t miss a beat. He is still disconcerted, but this opportunity is too exciting to pass-up. He has never met an artificial intelligence.

“SAM”.

“Yes, Mr. Ama Darav?”

“Would you mind telling me about yourself?”

Jaal is sure he hears a hint of amusement in SAM’s voice.

“Perhaps”.

“Perhaps?”

“You are interesting, Mr. Ama Darav. And while I am curious about you and your people. I am not at liberty to discuss my core functions. The Pathfinder – alone – has the authority to access that information. However, I would be willing to discuss less sensitive matters at a more appropriate time”.

Jaal smiles. “Such as?”

“History. Music. Science. Sports – And whatever subject that doesn’t breach my security protocols”.

Jaal feels some of his consternation ebb. Machine or not. It is an enlightening experience to speak with an AI. If Sara’s people could create someone as complex as SAM. Jaal wonders what else they were capable of creating.

“SAM”.

“Yes, Mr. Ama Darav?”

“Please call me Jaal”.

He is unsurprised when SAM goes quiet. He imagines the AI needs time to process his request. Jaal doubts this SAM exists aboard the Tempest. He’s sure he would’ve noticed if Ryder had a large processing centre aboard her ship. Jaal suspects that the memory-drives an AI requires would fill more than a single room.

It also doesn’t hurt to ask.

“SAM?” calls Jaal. He is impressed when the AI responds with the appropriate change. SAM is quick to adopt a new concept. His adaptability astonishes Jaal. He finds this SAM as fascinating as the human Pathfinder.

“Yes, Jaal?”

“Are you based aboard the Tempest?”

SAM proves cannier than he expects. “Forgive me, but I must first confer with the Pathfinder before I answer your query. A moment, Jaal”.

He waits for SAM to consult with Ryder. Jaal doesn’t care if she’s waiting outside the bathroom door. He knows he isn’t ready to face her after what happened in the Medbay. Jaal takes several deep breaths to calm himself. The merest thought about Ryder, beautiful in her ecstasy, makes his nether-regions engorge.

Jaal shakes off the arousal with difficulty. He is still confused by his attraction and he isn’t sure if it’s mutual. Flirting with an alien is one thing. Mating with one is something else entirely. Ryder isn’t Angara. And Jaal can’t help, but wonder if they’re even physically compatible.

He gazes down at himself. He’s wet and unsheathing. Jaal knows he’ll need another round in the shower before he’s ready to face Ryder. He returns to the stall and turns on the hot water. He steps under the spray and attends to his needs with attentive fingers.

Jaal groans as he thinks about Ryder. He wonders about the function of human breasts. And hopes he isn’t developing a fetish. All thought of SAM leaves his mind. And all he can think about for another twenty minutes is how tempting a morsel Ryder is.

Outside the bathroom the flustered Pathfinder waits for her Angara crewmate to finish. She hears Jaal moan through the thin metal walls. Only her quarters are soundproofed. Ryder is glad she banished everyone from the crew-quarters. She knows Lexi and Peebee would be more curious than appropriate.

“Asari are total perves”, she grumbles. “I can’t believe Lexi got upset when I asked you to purge the data from the Medbay. You should’ve seen her face. It was like I’d punched her in the gut. She even had the audacity to argue with me when I raised the issue of consent”.

SAM, as always, played the neutral observer.

“Your argument was sound, Pathfinder. While I respect Dr. T’Perro’s reasons. I do not believe she was acting in Jaal’s best interests. Our relationship with the Angara is too new for members of the Initiative to be taking liberties. I doubt Jaal’s superiors would be impressed if we were to breach his privacy”.

“Exactly my point”, agrees Ryder. “It’s not like Jaal was in a position to give consent. Geeze, for all I know. I was taking advantage of him. I feel horrible about it”.

“I know”, states SAM. “I am monitoring your neural activity, heart rate, and respiratory system. There are noticeable spikes when you think about Jaal. For example your heart rate is increasing and your blood pressure rising. I also detect higher concentrations of cortisol in your blood-stream”.

“I’m fine, SAM”.

“You’re anxious”, he corrects. “Likely due to Jaal’s arousal”.

Ryder sighs when she hears another throaty wail. Jaal is at it again. He’s loud in his pleasure – a natural screamer. Ryder wishes she could plug her ears. She’s feeling more ashamed of herself by the minute.

“You’re not helping!”

SAM’s frankness makes her uncomfortable. Ryder still isn’t used to sharing her head with an AI. She knows SAM experiences what she does in HD, full colour, and with surround sound. His unrestricted access to her physiology is a help and a hindrance. He has zero understanding of personal boundaries and propriety.

“I wasn’t trying too”.

“SAM!”

“Ryder”, he cautions. “You need to calm down”. SAM takes the path of least resistance. He is quick to convince Ryder to take deep calming breaths. “You know you can lose control over your biotics when under duress”.

“Thanks for the reminder. Ass”.

“You’re most welcome”.

Ryder smiles and does his bidding. She knows SAM is trying to help with his weird AI logic. He is more than a machine and he understands her with an intimacy that’s perturbing. He can often guess her moods without trying. Ryder doubts his perceptiveness is due to his constant monitoring of her physiology.

Despite what he says. SAM is too smart and too shrewd to leave himself vulnerable. Ryder suspects her father programmed self-preservation protocols into his matrices. She recalls how SAM survived Knight's trojan-horse virus. He'd identified the threat, isolated it, and incited her cooperation to save himself.

Ryder remembers how SAM showed her what to do. Knight’s flickering hologram had darted from terminal to terminal. And she had followed, one screen at a time, countering the sabotage. SAM had survived the hacking attempt. And she had rebooted his central servers with minimal damage.

Loathe as she is to admit it. Ryder knows they’re two halves of the same circle. She doesn’t like thinking about how they became a merged psyche. Their integration from separate beings into a single entity was agony. Ryder knows she almost died, even if her memories are hazy.

She takes several deep breaths as she contemplates their shared existence.

Try as she might to hate him. She finds she can’t. Ryder takes comfort in being connected to SAM. He reminds her of her parents. SAM has her father’s strength and her mother’s kindness.

Ryder knows, despite her misgivings, that she’s in good hands.

“SAM”.

“Yes, Pathfinder?”

“Thanks for looking out for me”.

SAM is as gracious in this as he is in everything he does.

“Thanks aren’t needed, but I appreciate the sentiment”.

“And SAM?”

“Yes?”

Ryder blushes. “Tell me when Jaal’s finished doing his thing”.

“Of course, Pathfinder”.

She retreats to the table at the far-end of the crew-quarters. There’s a hot cup of coffee and a plate full of freeze-dried fruits. Ryder takes a seat and makes herself comfortable. She waits for twenty minutes, nibbling on dried peaches, mango, and pineapple. She’s down to the last piece when SAM sounds the all clear.

“Pathfinder”.

“Here”, she calls. “Is he done?”

“Yes”.

“And?” urges Ryder.

“Jaal requests his personal footlocker”.

Ryder glances at the box sitting at her feet. It’s fashioned from black metal that’s dented, and scratched in places. It’s seen some hard wear through the years, but still serves its purpose. Ryder knows a well-loved personal possession when she sees it. She swallows the half-chewed piece of fruit in her mouth.

The pineapple is so sweet she almost gags. She lifts her cup to her lips and drains the last lukewarm dregs of her coffee. It’s so bitter she grimaces. They’d run out of sugar weeks ago. Ryder sets her empty cup on the table beside her plate.

She takes a fortifying breath and bends to grab Jaal’s footlocker. Its handles are frayed strips of broken leather, too small for Ryder to get a proper handhold. She slips her fingers underneath the bottom instead and hefts it into her arms. It’s heavier than it looks and larger, longer, and wider than her own Alliance-issue locker. Ryder feels a twinge of jealousy.

It seemed the Angara didn’t believe in frugality.

“Got it”, she tells SAM. “I’m on my way”.

“I will inform, Jaal”.

“Thanks”.

Ryder approaches the locked bathroom door. She steels herself and instructs SAM to do the inevitable. She knows he has access to the Tempest’s onboard security system. She’s glad she doesn’t have to do the deed herself. Ryder does the most sensible thing she can think of before the bathroom door unlocks.

She closes her eyes.

“Let him out, SAM”.

“At once, Pathfinder”.

Ryder is glad she can’t see a damned thing when the door whooshes open. Her skin goose-pimples with apprehension when she feels the first touch of that wet heat. The steam is fragrant with the fruity scent of fresh apples. Ryder scowls. Jaal has used her favourite bodywash.

“Ryder?”

“I’m here”, she grumbles. “And please don’t tell me you used the whole bottle”.

“What?” asks Jaal.

Ryder can’t see him, but she can hear the anxiety in his voice.

“You smell like apples”.

“Oh”, says Jaal. “The fruit from Earth. Suvi taught me about them. I may have sampled some too. The cleansing wash smelt different though”.

“Apples and pineapples are different fruit”, growls Ryder. “Did you use the whole bottle or not?”

She’s annoyed with him now. She’d been rationing that bottle for weeks. It was hard enough trying to replace it. No one made toiletries like they used too. And the supplies the Initiative had brought from the Milky Way are dwindling.

Good quality bodywash is hard to come by.

Jaal sounds more confused than guilty. “Yes”.

Ryder’s anger deflates. “Forget it”, she tells him. “Here”. She thrusts out the footlocker and jiggles it in her arms when Jaal hesitates. “Come on”, she coaxes. “SAM told me you wanted it”.

She reddens when Jaal asks an odd question.

“Ryder”.

“Yeah?”

“Why are your eyes closed?”

She sighs. “Are you naked?”

“I am”, confirms Jaal. “Although I don’t understand what that has to do with your eyes being closed”.

Ryder groans. “I hate my job. Geeze. Why couldn’t some other douche be the Pathfinder?” she laments. “Why the hell did it have to be me?”

She begs Jaal not to ask for an explanation.

“Please don’t ask me why I’d rather not see you in your birthday suit”.

“Are humans prudes?”

The question makes Ryder snort. She’s giggling before Jaal can figure out why. It’s surreal discussing human inhibitions with an alien. Jaal’s ignorance is sweet, awkward, and funnier than it should be. Ryder blames the nerves.

This blue boy makes her feel stupid about her weird human sensibilities.

“If I say yes. Will you go back inside and get dressed?”

Ryder feels the footlocker’s weight disappear. She sighs in relief and lets her arms drop to her sides. She’s optimistic Jaal will preserve her innocence until he does something unforgivable. She gasps when a shadow passes before her eyes. The darkness against her lids deepens and she feels warm breath on her skin.

“Jaal!” she cries. “What are you- _Yargh_!”

Ryder squeals when his lips touch her own. The kiss is brief, wet, and hot enough to melt her insides. His touch is electric. She stumbles away from him, feet sliding, and trips over the arm of a chair. She topples backward into the seat, arms pin-wheeling.

She lands with a grunt, eyelids fluttering open.

“Oh, fuck. Now I’m seeing something I didn’t want too. Great. Thanks, Jaal. I’m having all sorts of dirty inappropriate thoughts about you”.

Ryder stares, gulps, and counts her blessings. His footlocker is low enough to cover his privates. She still catches a glimpse of his chiselled chest and toned stomach. His mottled blue, pink, and purple thighs are muscular enough to crush coconuts. And his broad shoulders and big arms are the best Ryder has seen in years.

“You’re gorgeous”.

Jaal laughs. “Ryder”.

“Y-yeah?” she stammers.

“What is a birthday suit?”

“Sorry, big guy. I’m way too sober for this conversation. Get back inside the bathroom and get dressed. My brain’s overloading. I’m on the verge of having a melt-down”.

She flails for a moment and manages to activate her omnitool. Jaal calls her name as the bathroom doors close. Ryder locks him back inside again. She deflates like a popped balloon, air whooshing out her mouth and nose. She leans against the chair’s bolster and curses.

“Why did you have to make him so sexy?” she whines to the universe. “My job is hard enough without distractions! And he’s blue! My favourite fucking colour! You’re being so unfair!”

Ryder doesn’t care, ten minutes later, when Jaal bangs on the bathroom door.

“Pathfinder”, calls SAM. “He wants to be let out”.

She shakes her head. “Nope. He kissed me. He needs to be punished. He’s staying in there for another two minutes”.

“But”.

“Two minutes, SAM”.

The AI accepts her reasoning. “A just sentence. He was inappropriately forward”.

“You’re damn right he was. He may be sexy as sin, but that doesn’t mean he has a one-way ticket into my panties”.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t mind giving him one”.

“SAM!”

“I was joking, Pathfinder”.

Ryder scowls. “Sure you were. By the way. Your jokes are shit. Now go tell Jaal why he’s still sitting in the naughty corner”.

“Of course”.

SAM informs Jaal of his extended stay inside the bathroom. The Angara snorts and rolls his eyes. He doesn’t understand why Ryder is being so difficult. He isn’t ashamed of what they’ve done. He finds Ryder’s reluctance to be blunt about her feelings vexing.

“SAM”, calls Jaal. “Is the Pathfinder disgusted by what occurred between us?”

The AI doesn’t mince words.

“I don’t believe so”.

Jaal glares at the still closed bathroom door. “Then why am I still locked in here?”

SAM’s explanation confounds him. “You kissed Ryder”.

“I did, though it was brief”.

“Without permission”, elaborated the AI. “Ryder was offended by your boldness. Despite your shared intimacy. She doesn’t know you well. And she’d rather you respected her personal boundaries”.

“Which are?”

“Only Ryder can best define those boundaries”.

Jaal huffs. He’s frustrated by SAM’s continued interference. Although he is grateful for the AI’s insight. He knows it would be easier talking to Ryder face-to-face. He is unimpressed by her continued use of SAM as a go-between.

“Skutting skutt!” curses Jaal. “I am not a child in need of scolding!”

He stomps to the bathroom door, fused fingers curling into a fist. He pounds on the metal until it rings like a bell. He’s so irritable, he doesn’t realise the door is sliding open until he clocks Ryder in the face. Jaal startles badly when his fist strikes a living barrier. He reels when he catches a glimpse of glowing biotic-blue eyes.

“Ryder!”

He stumbles.

She snorts.

“You rang?”

Jaal scowls as he composes himself. It wouldn’t do to let Ryder see his agitation. He doesn’t like her dry tone of voice or the bored expression on her face. Jaal knows she’s angry with him, though she hides it well. Her sense of self-control is far superior than his own, he realises, when she drops her biotic barrier.

Jaal is reminded of their brief intense electrical interplay. He bites his lip as a wave of heat ripples through him again. It fizzles out before his body can respond. He’s too tired and sore to bother following through. Jaal feels the raw sting of chafed skin.

Ryder’s exasperation ebbs when he grimaces. “Ouch”, she says. “I know what that feels like. Geeze. You did a number on yourself. You gonna be okay?”

Jaal flushes violet and nods. “In a few days”.

“Sorry about that”.

“What?”

Ryder gestures to him with a casual flick of her fingers. She makes a point not to look at his crotch. She focuses on his face instead. She can already see him shifting from foot to foot. Ryder knows he’s hurting and trying to cover it up.

“You know”, she replies. “About before. I took advantage of you. And then we got hot and heavy. We ended up dry-humping for a good five minutes”.

“Oh. Yes. I remember”.

Ryder blushes. “Yeah. Me too”.

Jaal senses the opportunity to address their moment of shared intimacy. Ryder’s hopeless blundering embarrasses him. He takes the reins when she fails to meet his eye. An Angara woman would never act so ashamed of herself. Jaal knows he would take personal pride in giving pleasure to his beloved.

He sighs in sudden realisation. He recalls what SAM said. Ryder was upset because he’d kissed her without permission. Jaal knows he’s erred. He’d forgotten an important fact in the heat of the moment.

He and Ryder were strangers to each other.

They weren’t friends either.

Jaal’s shoulders slump. He tries to save face, but misery is fast dousing his frustration. He sniffles. The tears are prickling at the corners of his eyes. He doesn’t want to cry, but it’s difficult not too.

Jaal feels wretched for being furious with Ryder. Her ignorance is his fault. His lower-lip wobbles. He tries to rein himself in and fails. He’s miserable when she calls his name.

The sound of her concern fills him with self-loathing.

“Jaal! Hey!”

He shakes his head when she steps towards him.

“Stay away”.

“Are you crying?”

“No”, he lies, voice breaking.

It hurts when Ryder takes pity on him. The tears spill over when she reaches for him. Jaal tries to shake her off, but she’s too determined. He hiccups when her fingers slide under his chin. He feels the calluses on her skin.

“Hey. Come on. Look at me”.

“I don’t want too”.

Ryder’s eyes flash blue-violet. “That’s an order!”

Jaal stiffens. He knows that tone – it brims with authority. He does as he’s told. He turns towards Ryder and leans inward. He doesn’t know how to ask for what he wants. Ryder isn’t Angara, but much to his astonishment.

She seems to understand.

“It’s all right”, she soothes. “I’m not mad about what happened in the Medbay. To be honest it was sexy and hot-as-hell. It’s weird because we’re not friends or lovers. And I don’t usually jump in bed, with my clothes on, with guys I’ve just met”.

“It was beautiful”, says Jaal. “You were beautiful. And I’m glad, Ryder”.

“You seemed to enjoy yourself”.

“You didn’t?”

She bites her lip. “Well, I’ve never had my biotics react that way before. It was eye-opening and kinda nerve-wracking. And kinda scary. And one hell of a wake-up call”.

Jaal is confused. “Why?”

Ryder looks away. He can see she’s afraid to answer.

“Tell me. Please”.

She sighs and gives in. “Biotics are dangerous, Jaal. I could’ve hurt you. Bad”.

“But you didn’t”.

Her smile is soft and sad. “No. I didn’t”.

“Ryder”.

Jaal goes still when she touches him. His nostrils flare as her fingers splay over his cheek. He feels her calloused thumbs wipe away the tracks of his tears. Jaal is moved by her compassion. He knows it’s wrong – he knows it’s inappropriate – and he’s sure she does too.

Ryder responds in kind when Jaal presses his brow to hers. He can feel her breath on his skin. He can smell the musky undertones of her arousal. She’s different to an Angara female, but some things are similar. Jaal moans when he feels the thrum of her biotics.

It’s nothing like before. The wildness is gone. And in its place is a gentle pulse that flutters against his ribs like a heartbeat. Jaal comes undone. And Ryder whispers against his lips.

“You know. We have to be professional about this. I have a mission. And you have a mission. And our people aren’t sure if they’re enemies or allies”.

“Yet”.

“Jaal”.

“They’ll figure it out. And so will we”.

Ryder snorts. “That’s optimistic”.

“It’s called being hopeful”.

“Or suicidal”. The bridge of her nose slides across his own. “You’re not making this easy”.

“Neither are you”.

She bites him.

Jaal bites her back.

“Ow! Hey!”

“You started it”.

She swears. “Fuck Tann. And screw negotiations. I want to kiss you. Like real bad right now”.

“Will you?” challenges Jaal. “Or are you too afraid?”

Ryder considers her options. She can leave him wanting, turn on her heel, and walk away like a professional. Or she can be selfish for once. Jaal seems to be interested though she’s not sure if he’ll reciprocate. Ryder asks him a question.

“Do you want me too?”

Jaal smiles. “You’re asking for permission”.

She giggles. “Yeah. In my corner of the universe. It’s considered polite”.

He nips her again.

Ryder sucks in a shaky breath. “Fuck. I hope that’s a yes”.

Jaal doesn’t reply as his lips part. He’s relieved when Ryder’s response is favourable. She is warm, wet, and tastes delicious. He groans when he recognises that tangy sweetness. Ryder’s been eating the Earth-fruit he’d shared with Suvi.

Jaal delves deeper with his tongue.

Ryder follows suit.

He bites her when she gets overexcited.

“Mmm-Ow! Hey! Not so hard!”

He breaks their lip-lock. He throws her own words back at her. “We must stay professional”.

“W-What? Ow! Stop biting me!”

Jaal frowns. “Ryder. It’s important”.

She pouts when he refuses to kiss her again. Her eyes are on his mouth. She bites her lip and nods. She knows what he means. Their bosses would never condone their fraternising.

Tann would hit the roof. And Evfra would glare until one of them spontaneously combusted.

“Yeah. I hear you. Spoilsport”.

“Good”, says Jaal. He takes a step away from her. “We cannot do this again”.

Ryder nods. “Right. Not until we know where we stand with one another”.

“That’s not what I meant”.

She takes umbrage. Jaal laughs when a stern forefinger is jabbed into his sternum. Ryder isn’t ready to let him have his bone back. She scowls. Their attraction, after all, is mutual.

“Oh, hell no. You’re not wriggling out of this one. We dry-humped in front of Lexi. And you kissed me. Twice”.

Ryder stomps her foot. “We can put this on the back-burner. For now. But we are going to figure this thing out. Once and for all”.

“When?” asks Jaal. “Tomorrow? Next week?”

“Soon”, she promises. “The mission takes priority. And you and I need to suss out the details of whatever the fuck Evfra wants me to do. Until then we get to know each other. And we figure out if we can work together”.

“Professionally”.

“Yeah”, agrees Ryder.

“And personally?” teases Jaal.

“Shut up!” she snaps. “It’s hard enough being in the same room with you right now! You’re gorgeous! And distracting!” She snorts when he bends over to pick up his footlocker. Jaal has no shame even with his arse in the air.

Ryder is pink-cheeked when he straightens. There’s a knowing twinkle in his eye when he walks passed her.

Ryder stares, mouth watering.

“Damn”, she wonders aloud. “I hope we’re physically compatible. ‘Cause that is one fine ass”.

SAM chimes in and makes her blush. “So you find Jaal attractive?”

“Yeah. I guess I do”.

“Good”, says SAM. “I will inform Dr. T’Perro. She will need to research appropriate references for your eventual sexual engagement with Jaal. Preparation is always best, Pathfinder. I will inform you of the results in due course”.

“Wait”, calls Ryder. “What?” SAM’s silence unnerves her. She bolts through the crew-quarters after Jaal, yelling. “SAM! Don’t you dare!”


	9. Interlude - Before the Debrief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains coarse language, teasing, metaphors, slang, predictions, and ulterior motives. Discretion is advised.

Ryder stands at the helm of her ship. Kallo to her right. Suvi to her left. She beckons Jaal. She smiles when he comes and stands beside her.

Together they gaze through the broad cockpit windows. The vista is gorgeous. The sun is high, the clouds are white, and the sky is an endless blue. Jaal sees Ryder’s wistfulness in the way she delays to give the order. They need to leave Aya, but they’re still planet-side. 

“You know”, she says. “I think I understand why your people were so mad we found this place. It’s more than a golden world. It’s a paradise. And it’s something the Kett haven’t spoiled”.

“Yes”, agrees Jaal. “There are few such worlds in Heleus”.

“And Aya”, finishes Ryder. “Is a diamond in the rough”.

He frowns. He doesn’t understand the reference until Kallo explains. 

“Ryder means that Aya is something rare and precious”.

Jaal smiles at the compliment. He is learning the human language is full of idioms. Nothing is ever as simple or straightforward as it appears to be. Words have layers of meaning – some are plain, while others are implied. And some words when strung together in a sentence form he oddest things he’s ever heard.

“A diamond in the rough. How appropriate”.

Ryder nods. “It’s true”. She smiles and takes one last longing look at Jaal’s favourite planet. Aya is the most beautiful place she’s seen in Heleus. It’s almost painful, like the slide of a blade against her skin, to leave it behind.

“I hope Evfra allows us to come back here”, she tells Jaal. “One day soon. I hope we’ll have earned his trust enough to set eyes on it again. I’d die happy if I could breathe the air down there. One last time”.

Suvi giggles. “Someone sounds like she’s in love”.

“And with a planet”, teases Kallo. “How scandalous”.

Jaal laughs and Ryder does too. She gives Kallo a fond look.

“What can I say?”, she teases. “I like ‘em pretty. Go on and take us up. I want Jaal to see us punch through Aya’s atmosphere”.

Kallo nods. “And this time we won’t be on fire. It’s a bonus, believe me”.

Ryder grips the rails around the edge of the galaxy map. She nods for Jaal to follow suit. She braces herself when the ship lurches as Kallo changes course. Jaal almost loses his footing as the cockpit turns towards the sun. His hasty grab for the rail makes her laugh.

“I warned you”.

He is unamused. “You’re not funny, Ryder”.

“Oh don’t worry”, Kallo assures him. “The Tempest has excellent stabilisers. You won’t feel a thing once we hit the atmosphere”. Kallo settles into cruise-control and lets the ship do the work. They’re climbing higher, cutting through dewy clouds – riding the wind.

Jaal watches the sun disappear overhead. It sets the cockpit windows ablaze with a fiery sheen that darkens to blue and then violet. The clouds thin and soon they’re soaring above Aya. The Tempest rocks, the turbulence making the ship’s nose rise as if it were surfing the crest of a wave. The rough water lasts for a handful of seconds until they punch through the white of Aya’s atmosphere.

Jaal sighs in awe when he catches sight of the endless sea of stars.

“Beautiful”.

Ryder nods to Kallo – the ship turns in a full circle. The cockpit windows face Aya. And Jaal realises they’re in orbit. His breath catches in his throat when he sees the planet. Aya is a dark broody world of greys and browns broken by slashes of burning orange and yellow.

“How strange”, he remarks. “It looks nothing like a paradise from here”.

Ryder nods. “That’s a good thing, Jaal. Most would assume Aya was uninhabited without doing a planetary scan. The Scourge helps keep it that way. And for once, I’m glad we made it through to land there”.

“Yeah”, agrees Suvi. “It would’ve been bad if the Archon’s ship had followed us”.

Jaal’s head turns. His eyes narrow. He looks at Suvi with suspicion. “What?” he demands. His gaze turns from Suvi to Kallo, who shifts in his seat with sudden discomfort.

“Oops. Slip of the tongue. Sorry. Ryder. That’s your cue”. 

Kallo focuses on piloting the ship, fingers flying over a holographic haptic interface. He taps an impatient thumb on the console. He’s waiting for the Pathfinder to take the lead.

“Ryder!” barks Jaal. “You never said anything about encountering the Archon!”

The bridge is quiet. The tension high. Ryder exhales an irritable sigh. She wipes a hand down her face, brows furrowing. She catches sight of Suvi, pink-cheeked, and feeling embarrassed.

“It’s all right”, she tells her crew-mate. “It’s my fault for not mentioning it earlier. I’ve had so much going on today. It slipped my mind”. She offers Jaal an apology.

“I’m sorry”.

He’s incensed. “For lying by omission? For failing to inform Evfra about how you found Aya? For almost bringing the Archon down upon a sovereign world of my people? You have no idea what you’ve done!”

Jaal expects Ryder to snap at him. He’s unsurprised when one of her crew-mates jumps to her defence. Mild-mannered Suvi is the first to defend the Pathfinder. Kallo is second. And together they form a united-front.

“Now, wait a minute!” cries Suvi. “Ryder didn’t lie about a thing! And if you recall! Your people had her at gunpoint while she was on Aya! It’s not like she was in a position to negotiate without being shot!”

Jaal flushes violet when Kallo elaborates.

“That’s right. The Archon was already in angaran space. We didn’t bring him here. I suspect we encountered him while he was trying to navigate the Scourge. The vault on Eos led us to this sector of the Heleus cluster”.

Suvi nods. “And we went into FTL and popped out of hyperspace. And there he was inside a Kett flagship twice the size of a turian dreadnought. The Archon’s fleet included scouting ships and several wings of smaller fighters. I’ve never been so scared in my life”. 

Jaal is shaken when Kallo continues.

“He hailed us, spewed threats, and tried to take over the ship”. Kallo scowls at the memory. “That arrogant Kett demanded we hand over our Pathfinder. He acted as if she was property. If not for SAM, I doubt we would’ve escaped”.

Ryder smiles. “It wasn’t just SAM who saved us. And you know it”.

Kallo fidgets in his seat, suddenly self-conscious. “I did my job. It wasn’t anything special”.

Suvi snorts. “You found us a way through the Scourge. And you got us out of it. Alive. SAM’s amazing, but he doesn’t pilot the ship”.

Kallo twiddled his thumbs. “I actually couldn’t have done it without SAM. He mapped the route. I followed the coordinates. It was tight, I agree. But I can’t take all the credit”.

“And neither can I”, remarked SAM. “It was a team effort”.

Kallo nods. “Exactly. A team effort”.

“All right. Fine”, capitulated Suvi. “It was a team effort”.

Jaal is quiet. He mulls over what he’s learned in the last five minutes. He looks at Ryder, eyes going wide with fear. He reaches for her hand before he realises what he’s doing. He grips her fingers tight as he asks a question.

“The Archon wants you?”

Ryder is red-faced. She’s aware of the stares she’s getting. Suvi and Kallo have their eyes on her and Jaal’s entwined fingers. Their angaran crew-mate is more demonstrative in his affections than a human would be.

She knows he’s forgotten again. They’re not supposed to be this familiar with each other. Their impromptu make-out session from before is supposed to be kept under wraps. Jaal it seems has other ideas. She can’t feel the heat of his skin through his gloves, but she can feel the tightness of his grip.

Her skin goose-pimples when his thumb grazes the underside of her wrist.

“I guess”, admits Ryder.

Jaal squeezes her fingers. “Why?”

She shrugs. “I’m not sure”. She glares when Kallo calls her out. He knows she’s lying, even if she isn’t sure exactly what the Archon wants. The alien with the bony face, booming voice, and fetish for green catsuits made his point clear.

“Ryder. You know that’s not true”.

“Not now, Kallo!”

Kallo has that stubborn glint in his eye. Ryder knows she’s walking on thin ice when his lip curls. She knows he’s going to spill the beans in front of Jaal. Kallo is an excellent pilot, but he’s also a gossip-monger. She's afraid his big mouth will get her into trouble with Jaal (and by extension with Evfra).

She suspects Jaal is a good soldier. He’s the kind that follows orders, gathers intelligence, and writes detailed reports. He probably files them on-time too. Ryder thinks he informs Evfra about everything he learns that could help fight the Kett. The sinking feeling in her gut makes her nervous.

She can’t help but wonder if Jaal would drop her in the deep end with Evfra. They’re not quite friends despite getting intimately acquainted. And from what she’s seen of him so far. Jaal’s loyalty to the Resistance runs bone-deep. He’s already on high-alert thanks to Suvi’s slip-up and Kallo’s helpful explanations.

“I said”, repeats Ryder. “Not now. We have a debriefing in the Meeting Room in five minutes”.

“But”, insists Kallo. “It’s important. And Jaal is a member of the crew. He has a right to know. And that’s doubly true because of the history his people share with the Kett”.

Ryder rolls her eyes when Suvi chimes-in.

“I agree. Kallo’s making a solid argument, Pathfinder”.

“Damn it”, groans Ryder. “Why couldn’t the Initiative be military? If we were still part of the Alliance, I could have you both suspended for being insubordinate. Instead we’re a civilian outfit and I have to put up with your bullshit. Look, I love you guys”.

Ryder glares when Kallo opens his mouth to argue.

“I do. But I can see that inheriting my Dad’s position hasn’t won me any brownie points. You’re still doubting me and questioning my judgement. I’m the Pathfinder, but I haven’t earned my stripes yet. I get it”.

Suvi is contrite. “Oh! We didn’t mean it like that!”

Kallo is surprised too. “What she said! We trust you!”

Ryder shakes her head. “Not yet you don’t”.

“Ryder!”

“We’ll talk about this later. For now, keep the ship in orbit over Aya. I’ll send you the coordinates for our next stop after the debriefing”.

Jaal frowns when Ryder shakes him off. He’s reluctant to let go, but he complies when she motions for him to follow. She walks away first – ignoring Kallo and Suvi – as she heads for the door. Jaal sees the pilot and copilot exchange an awkward glance. They sigh in unison, returning to their work with heavy hearts.

“Come on, Jaal”, calls Ryder. “We have a debriefing to attend”.

He watches her pause and activate her omnitool. Ryder’s forearm is enclosed in a holographic gauntlet. Jaal is fascinated when her fingers tap a series of glowing orange keys. She accesses a program that makes the bridge’s intercom crackle. Jaal hears her voice bounce off the walls and ceiling.

“This is Ryder. We have a mission debrief in the Meeting Room in five minutes. I expect everyone to be there except for Gil, Lexi, Suvi, and Kallo. And by everyone, I mean my ground team and that means you – Liam. Get your ass out of that storage closet you call a room. Don’t, and I’ll ground you from missions for a month”. 

Ryder shuts off the program. Her omnitool disappears and Jaal wonders if it might prove useful to his people. The technology is like angaran holographic interfaces, though it lacks an essential feature. Jaal knows Ryder’s omnitool won’t have the language module for written Shelesh.

It would be next to useless for him without significant modification.

Jaal tenses when Ryder’s attention shifts. She looks from him to her left hand and back again. She nods in understanding. She knows why he’s staring. He’s never seen one in action before.

“It’s called an omnitool. You interested in getting one?”

Jaal frowns. He knows she’s trying to distract him. Ryder has a natural aptitude for subterfuge. The way she smiles is disingenuous. Her eyes don’t crinkle at the corners, and the line of her jaw is tight.

He reads anxiety rather than warmth in her expression. She’s trying to keep him at arm’s length. Jaal finally understands how she felt on Aya. His people don’t trust her and she doesn’t trust him. Jaal tries to bridge the gap, regardless. 

He feels she owes him an explanation after her mistake with Evfra.

“Ryder”, he demands. “Why does the Archon want you?”

Her smile disappears. She exhales a shaky breath – the subject is sensitive. Ryder eyes him with a wariness that speaks of an animal backed into a corner. Her nostrils flare as she takes a fortifying breath. Jaal notices how she takes stock of the exits in the room. 

They’re still on the bridge. Her avenues of escape are few. The ship is in orbit over Aya and the airlock is sealed. Jaal knows she could run into the heart of the ship. Her personal quarters are separate from the rest of the crew.

Jaal hopes she won’t lock herself away for hours. He’s not the most patient of Angara. He wants answers. Now. The Archon and the Kett are the greatest threat his people have ever faced.

“Ryder”, persists Jaal. “Kallo is right. As the angaran envoy aboard your ship. I have a right to know. So does Evfra”.

She turns on him with a snarl. Her eyes narrow, her face hardening. What warmth she’d exuded in the past few hours evaporates like mist in the sunlight. Jaal realises who he’s facing now. This is not the shy, sweet woman he’d brought to the peak of ecstasy.

This stern stranger is the Pathfinder. And in that moment she reminds Jaal of Evfra. She glares at him, brows furrowing. Her mouth is a thin grim line. She’s offended by his presumptuousness.

“I determine what rights you have aboard my ship”, she tells him. “You’re a guest not a crew-mate until I say otherwise. If you ever demand information like that from me again. I will order my pilot to turn this ship around and head straight back to Aya. You’ll be aboard the first shuttle planet-side”.

Jaal is stunned by her tone. Only Evfra and his true-mother have ever spoken to him as if he were a child. Ryder’s voice brims with authority. Jaal feels the backlash of her temper. She’s holding herself in check whilst expressing her displeasure.

Moments pass in tense silence until Jaal snorts. He can’t help it. She reminds him of someone he knows all too well. 

“You sound like Evfra”.

His astonishment gives way to amusement. He chuckles despite the tension between them. He’s reminded of Evfra – again – when Ryder rolls her eyes. Her exasperation culminates in a grimace of annoyance. She spits a stream of invectives that puts Jaal’s translator on the fritz.

“Evfra swears when he’s annoyed too”.

Ryder scowls. Jaal grins. And Suvi and Kallo share a knowing smile. They occupy themselves with their work again when Ryder glances their way. Her left eye twitches and the muscle in her cheek jumps.

“You guys are total pricks”.

She jabs a finger at Jaal. “No one likes a smart-ass”. Ryder cuts him off before he can ask her for another explanation of human slang. “We don’t have time to play twenty questions. We have to debrief in the Meeting Room”.

“Now?” asks Jaal.

He smirks when Ryder huffs.

“Yes now!” She does a double-take when Jaal laughs at her expense. “You ass!” She’s smiling too when he nods to the door leading into the corridor beyond. Ryder shakes her head and takes the initiative.

“Get out there! Go on!”

Jaal follows her orders. He walks passed her with a spring in his step. Ryder tries and fails not to stare when his ass wiggles. He knows she’s watching him as he clenches the muscles in his butt-cheeks. The impromptu dance makes Ryder blush.

“I can still ship you back to Aya”.

Jaal winks as he walks away. “You won’t. You like me. And I know you’ll tell me about the Archon later. I know how to make you moan. It’s a useful thing to know, Pathfinder”.

Ryder is forced to take several deep fortifying breaths before she follows him. She can already hear Suvi and Kallo whispering. She knows they’re responsible for the Tempest’s rumour-mill. And they’re already churning out a fresh load of new gossip. Ryder groans in despair.

“Gorgeous and smart. Damn”.

She’s leaving the bridge when Kallo pipes up.

“Ryder?”

She puts on a brave face and tries to stay professional. Kallo has a talent for pushing her buttons –  
the cheeky shit. Suvi isn’t much better. And the two of them together are a pain in the ass. Ryder hates it when they double-team.

Two against one is unfair.

“Yeah?”

Ryder reddens when Kallo calls her out. “You seem awfully stressed. I bet Jaal would be happy to help you blow off some steam. If not him than I know a turian on the Nexus who’d be interested. I hear he likes you”.

“A whole lot”, gushes Suvi. “He’s real impressed by your progress as the Pathfinder”.

Ryder snorts. “You’d better not be talking about Kandros”.

Suvi giggles. “So you do know him. Right”.

“He’s Tiran to his friends”, corrects Kallo. “And I know he likes you”.

Ryder hastily waves them goodbye. “We’re not having this conversation”.

“But Ryder!”

“Bye!”

She escapes with a curse on her lips. She’s in the corridor and finds Jaal waiting for her at the end of the walkway. Ryder is bewildered by the thunderous expression on his face. He’s glowering at the floor. She calls his name, asking what’s wrong.

“Jaal? Are you okay?”

His lip curls. “Who is Tiran Kandros?”

The question stuns Ryder. She gapes at him, at a loss for words. She’s certain he can’t feel that way, since they’re not quite friends. Can he? They don't know each other beyond a handful of awkward conversations.

So what she thinks is impossible.

He can’t be jealous. 

“What?”

Jaal repeats the question, nose wrinkling in disdain. “Who is Tiran Kandros?”

Ryder flounders like a fish out of water. “He’s a friend”.

Jaal knows he’s being unfair, but he’s still angry. He can’t stomach the idea that Ryder might be playing with him. He’d loathed Allia’s penchant for games whilst they’d been together. Now he wonders if Ryder is the same. It is a shameful thing – he believes – for a woman to set her admirers against each other to earn her affections.

He hopes he’s wrong.

“Is he only a friend?”

Jaal notices how Ryder’s brows arch into her hairline. Her eyes widen in amazement. She’s bewildered by what he’s asking. Jaal braces himself for disappointment when Ryder answers. He feels the heat rise in his cheeks.

“Are you jealous?”

“No”.

Ryder doesn’t buy it. “Right. If that’s true. Why are you asking if Kandros is my friend?”

Jaal tries to evade the trap she’s set, but the bait is too tempting to resist. He is angara to the bone. He appreciates the frankness humans find rude. He ignores Suvi’s warnings about diplomacy and ploughs on. He likes a challenge and Ryder is proving herself his match in wit and will.

“I asked if he was your friend. Only”.

“And how is that any of your business?” retorts Ryder.

“It’s important!” 

“How?” she challenged. “Go on. Give me a reason”.

Jaal remembers Evfra’s orders. “Because”, he tell hers. “It could determine if I succeed or fail my mission. My people mean everything to me, Ryder. And knowing you could save or doom them”.

“Bullshit”.

“It’s true”.

“My ass it’s true”.

Jaal was losing his patience. He didn’t think Ryder could be this dense. Evfra had sent him aboard the Tempest to do more than spy on her. The Leader of the Resistance wanted to know – for certain – if she was a threat or a potential ally. And the surest way to win her to their cause was to become more than her friend.

Jaal thought he’d succeeded so far. They’d shared several intimate moments in so short a time. Ryder liked him and he liked her. Their attraction to each other seemed mutual too. Jaal knew his head-start would mean nothing if she was already in a serious relationship.

Jaal didn’t realise he was shouting until they had an audience.

“Ryder! Tell me the truth! Are you mated to Kandros or not?”

Ryder froze when someone cleared their throat with a hoarse cough. She looked beyond Jaal into the Research Room. She saw Liam in front of the ramp that led upstairs. And like the rest of the crew waiting for them – he found their quarrelling distasteful.

“Guys!” he chided. “Way too much information!”

“Liam!” squealed Ryder. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to hear the juicy bits”.

“Shit”.

“Chill already”, advises Liam. “Everyone knows Kandros has a thing for you, Ryder. It’s old news. As for big blue flirting with you”. He gives Jaal an appraising look. “None of us saw that coming, but I know we heard it like a freight train rumbling down the track”.

Jaal frowns. “What is a freight train? And why would it be rumbling down a track?”

Liam chuckles. “Spend enough time with us. You’ll learn the lingo. For now let’s say your freight-train has arrived with bells and whistles in Ryder’s station. Real subtle”.

“What? I don’t understand”.

“It’s a metaphor”.

“For what?” asks Jaal.

Ryder reddens. “Don’t you dare, Liam”.

He smirks, winks, and nods to the rest of the crew watching their spat. Ryder groans when she sees Vetra and Cora eyeing each other across the room’s central console. They were uncomfortable, shuffling their feet – trying not to stare. Peebee waved with a cheerful smile. Drack folded his burly arms across his broad chest and gave her some helpful advice.

“If you need a bedmate. Kandros is a good choice. He’s ex-military and won’t mind a casual fling. Turians like him know all about the dangers of pent-up sexual frustration. He’ll help you offload the stress”.

Ryder was appalled. “I’m not stressed!”

“Sure you’re not”.

“Drack!”

The old Krogan flared his nostrils, taking a deep breath. “My nose says otherwise. You’re in-heat. If we were in the middle of a Krogan settlement. The males would be beating each other purple over mating rights”.

“Human women don’t go into heat!” cried Ryder. “And it is not that time of my month!”

“Liar. I can smell your stink”.

“I’m on chemical procreation blockers!”

“That stuff doesn’t stop you from wanting a good mating. I was there half an hour ago. So was Lexi. We saw the light show. We know you have a thing for that bald blue pyjack”.

Drack glared at Jaal. “And he knows it too”.

“Shut up!” 

Jaal rolls his shoulders and makes a suggestion. “I’d be willing to help Ryder relieve stress”.

“Thought so”, confirmed Drack. 

Ryder gasped. “You’d what?”

“I’d be willing to help you relieve stress”, reiterated Jaal. “SAM has assured me that Lexi could provide appropriate guidance. It would take time to research, but I’m certain we would both be satisfied in the end. We’re already compatible bio-electrically, which is important for Angara. And I’m intrigued by your biotics too”.

Ryder shakes her head. “You can’t say something like that out loud!” She hates how open Jaal is about their mutual attraction to each other. For humans something so personal is usually kept private. She panics when she realises that Angara might be the opposite.

Jaal frowns. “And why not?”

“Because it’s supposed to be kept between us! It’s private, Jaal!” she hisses. “Ugh! We’re not having this conversation right now!” Ryder throws her hands in the air in frustration. She stomps away, ignoring Jaal. She shoulders passed Liam, near knocking him over, and refuses to acknowledge Drack.

“Why did I have to be the Pathfinder?” she huffs. “Scott would’ve been better at this shit! Geeze! You’re a jerk, Dad! A total and complete jerk!”

Jaal frowns as he watches Ryder stomp up the ramp. He hadn’t yet set foot inside the Meeting Room, but from the deck below it looked big. He saw lots of lights, windows, and an angry Pathfinder glaring at him from over the rail. She was taking several deep and calming breaths. Jaal wonders if it's under the guidance of SAM.

Ryder and the AI seem to be attuned to each other. He can’t help but wonder how and why. It could have something to do with her father, even his death. Jaal has little time to contemplate when Ryder yells at her crew. Her fury is clear in the way she barks like an irritable ahdi. Her teeth are bared, lips pulled back in a snarl.

“Come on! Get up here! We have a debriefing!”

Liam snickers. “Right on, Pathfinder”. He makes his way up the ramp, hands in his pockets. Jaal is bewildered when Liam pauses and speaks to him. “That means you too. Ryder hasn’t said it yet, but she already considers you part of the crew. I suppose, I will too once I get to know you better”.

Peebee giggles. “Was that a welcome speech?”

“It’s about as good as he’s going to get for now”, replies Liam. “I still haven’t forgiven him for what happened to Ryder on Aya. It wasn’t right. But that’s all I’ll say about it for now”. He continues on his way with a smile on his face. 

“Come on. We’ve got a debrief”.

Peebee claps her hands. “Ryder’s love-life is just like those cheesy mid-century human soap-operas. Awesome. It’s like a total drama with a dash of comedy. I’m so glad, I decided to jump aboard this ship. It’s so exciting”.

Cora rolls her eyes. “Still it's starting to get uncomfortable”.

Vetra shrugs her shoulders. “It’s already uncomfortable. I’ve never been in one room with this much repressed sexual tension. My plates are itching. Ryder’s carrying a flame bigger than a blow-torch for the new guy”.

Jaal blushed, cheeks violet.

“He can hear you and so can Ryder”, grumbled Drack as he followed them up the ramp. “They’re blushing. The blue pyjack’s turning purple. Ryder’s red. I’d say they’re embarrassed”.

“Definitely”, agreed Cora. “I would be”.

Vetra sniffed. “Guys. Debrief. You’re blocking the ramp. Let’s get up there before Ryder has a meltdown”.

A brief consensus got their feet moving. Jaal lingered below deck for several moments, collecting himself. He took several deep breaths too. He was calmer when he glanced upward. Ryder was still looking over the rail – watching him from above.

“You all right?”

“Yeah – not really”.

Ryder’s sheepish smile made him laugh.

“Sorry. My crew are frank about everything even sex. You’ll get used to it”.

“It’s a very angaran trait”.

Ryder groaned. “You’re joking right?”

“No”, Jaal assured her. “Honesty is appreciated by my people. We hide few things emotionally”.

“And physically?”

He smiled. “We’re more private”.

Ryder bit her lip. The twinkle in his eye left her panting. “Oh, that’s a relief. You have no idea”.

And just like that the awkwardness subsided. Jaal chuckled. “A debrief, Ryder?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Come on up. The crew’s as ready as they’ll ever be. Let’s get this show on the road”.


	10. The Debrief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains coarse language. Discretion is advised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited, and reposted with extended scenes, and dialogue. Draws heavily on in-game dialogue with minor modifications.

Jaal takes a seat on the bench running along the wall of the Meeting Room. It’s a convenient spot from where he can observe Ryder and her crew. He sits back and watches her chair the meeting. The debrief starts with a run-down of what happened on Aya. Ryder controls the flow of conversation.

Issues are addressed, though the crew dwell on their encounter with the Angara. Jaal is surprised when Ryder disagrees with Liam on a point of contention. He knows the human is furious about her treatment on Aya. Liam thinks the issue merits discussion, but Ryder is adamant. Jaal finds her refusal to consider what happened an insult – interesting.

“But you weren’t armed or a threat!” argues Liam. “And they still attacked you!”

“Better a jab in the back with the butt of a rifle than a barrel in the chest”.

“What they did was wrong!”

“It could’ve been worse, I agree”, says Ryder. “But it wasn’t. I’m still alive, and we have an Angara envoy aboard the Tempest. It worked out better than I could’ve hoped. And the Leader of the Resistance gave us a chance to prove ourselves. It’s a bonus”.

“But it’s not fair!”

Ryder meets Liam’s gaze. “Life’s not fair, but we roll with the punches. I did what I had to do. What? You don’t trust my judgement?” she asks, smooth as silk.

Caught in the line-of-fire, Liam panics. Jaal sees his brows arch in shock, eyes going wide. His mouth is agape as he tries to think of a comeback. Ryder waits, Jaal watches, and Liam gathers his wits. He inhales a fortifying breath, mouth opening to reply when Ryder cuts him off.

“Well?”

Liam grimaces. Jaal knows he’s gone from regrouping to a tactical retreat. Ryder’s backed him into a corner with one well-timed word. Liam swears, the expletive sounding like gibberish to Jaal. He’s on the verge of setting off a tripwire.

Jaal remembers Ryder telling Evfra about her father. She’d said he was N7 – an elite soldier – the best of the best. Jaal wonders if she’d learned at her father’s knee. Ryder displays a perturbing proficiency for assessing the battlefield. She knows how to turn a weakness into an advantage, a quality that Evfra shares too.

Jaal is certain they’re the same, when Liam capitulates with a sigh.

“I trust you”.

“You sure?” says Ryder. The hint of challenge in her voice is softened with a self-deprecating smile. “I’m not feeling so confident over here. I’m new to this whole Pathfinding thing. Remember?”

Liam snorts, his anxiety ebbing. The corner of his mouth turns upward. He smirks, eyes twinkling when he takes a verbal jab at Ryder. She takes his humour in-stride. The tension between them eases when Ryder jokes with him.

“You saying you need to take baby-steps, Pathfinder?”

She nods. “Yeah. I’m learning as I go. Give me a break already”.

Liam chuckles. “Gotta learn to walk before you can run. I get it. You’ve done well so far. We’re not at war with the Angara. It’s a start”.

Jaal is intrigued when discussion resumes. Ryder continues to chair the meeting, keeping things running smooth. More issues are addressed - the Pathfinder is praised for her quick thinking. The criticism is minimal, though Jaal senses Ryder is treading on unstable ground. She’s a green-gilled recruit, trying to prove herself capable.

Jaal suspects it’s dark in her father’s shadow.

An elite soldier’s boots are hard to fill.

The meeting takes an interesting turn when Drack, Vetra, and Cora share their opinions. Jaal sees how Ryder handles the triple barrage. Their views about Aya differ, but a consensus is reached thanks to Ryder’s clever manoeuvring. Conflict is avoided. Cora summarises their mutual agreement aloud.

“I’m just saying. As far as first contact goes, at least that went better than the last one”.

Peebee is unconvinced. “Only slightly. We still got kicked off Aya. I wanted to stay and have a look around. But that’s a no-can-do when we’re stuck aboard the Tempest”.

Cora sniffs. “Rein in your enthusiasm, Peebs. We’re not best friends with the Angara – Yet”.

“Says you. Ryder seems to be doing all right with Jaal”.

As the only Angara aboard the Tempest, Jaal soon finds himself the focus of Drack's disdain. It’s like being on the wrong end of a sniper’s scope. Drack might tote a shot-gun, but he’s still got pin-point accuracy. He glares at him, golden eye rolling. Ryder said he was fourteen hundred years old.

Jaal is inclined to agree after that look of intense dislike. He doubts it’s hate. Drack seems the type to shoot the things he hates. Jaal thinks the old Krogan is being protective of Ryder. She’s human – sure – but they share an odd kinship.

Drack is making sure the neighbourhood boys don’t get any ideas. “And now we have another mouth to feed”, he growls. “Whatever he eats”.

Jaal returns Drack’s scrutiny with cool indifference. He’s a new addition to Ryder’s crew. He’s here to stay too, whether Drack likes it or not. Ryder needs him. And Jaal knows, that he needs her too.

It’s an alliance of mutual benefit.

For now.

Jaal sees Ryder frown when Vetra remarks on Drack’s lukewarm reception.

“Wow, that’s not half-bad for Krogan hospitality. You haven’t shot him. Jaal’s still got all his limbs attached. And you didn’t go blood-rage on him. It’s a bonus”.

“Vetra!” reproves Ryder.

“What? Drack’s a crotchety old bastard. You know how moody he gets when his girls are in trouble”.

“I’m not in trouble!”

“Says you”, counters Drack. “Someone’s got to watch your back. Might as well be me”.

The exasperated roll of Ryder’s eyes amuses Jaal. His true-mother Sahuna is the same, always worrying about her favourite son. Jaal supposes it’s a parent’s prerogative to fuss over their offspring. Ryder might not be Drack’s by blood, but he counts her as his own. Jaal finds the sentiment encouraging and very Angara – though he doesn’t tell Drack that.

The conversation moves on, and Jaal loses focus. He’s reflecting on his family when Vetra speaks to him. He’s startled out of his reverie, flushing violet. The sudden hush in the room makes him feel self-conscious. He’s grateful when Vetra repeats what she’s said.

“You all right following the conversation? Do the translators not work?”

Jaal is astonished when Ryder intervenes on his behalf. She snaps at Vetra with more vehemence than he expects. Vetra was only trying to make sure he was all right. Ryder doesn’t seem to see it that way. She rounds on their turian crewmate with a snarl.

“I can assure you that the translators work! Jaal knows what we’re saying! He’s not stupid, Vetra!”

“I was just asking!”

Ryder scowls. “Than be more polite about it. He’s new. Give him a break. He deserves it after everything he’s been through today”.

Jaal forgets his embarrassment, the corner of his mouth curving upward. He finds Ryder’s concern for him, charming. She’s acting like an Angara, wearing her emotions on the outside. It’s comforting, even sweet. Jaal wonders if she’s following Drack's example and being protective.

Jaal is mortified when Vetra waggles her brow-plates.

“Oh, boy. I’m not sure, I want to touch that topic”.

Ryder is disappointingly dense. “What’re you talking about?”

Jaal cringes when Vetra glances from her to him. He thinks Ryder might be playing ignorant when Vetra takes the killshot.

“The incident in the Medbay, two hours ago”.

Ryder gasps, blushing. Her red cheeks, tell Jaal that she had no idea what Vetra meant. She does now though, realisation dawning. Jaal knows that she’s recalling exactly what happened in the Medbay. He is too, though no one seems to notice the violet flush in his cheeks, chin, and throat.

Ryder doesn’t get off the hook that easy. Her skin, more pink than purple, is a lovely shade of scarlet. Jaal knows she’s feeling ashamed of herself. She keeps her voice even, despite the slight tremble in her fingers. She combs several strands of hair behind an ear to stop herself from fidgeting.

“Vetra”, she cautions. “You like order. Right?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Jaal is suspicious the moment Ryder smiles. There is a twinkle in her eye. He stays quiet, thinking it best not to get involved. Ryder is setting a trap. Jaal steers clear, suspecting Vetra will ensnare herself without realising it.

He doesn’t want to be trapped too.

“Well”, Ryder tells Vetra. “You like to keep things stacked on shelves in neat little rows. Or tucked away in boxes with plenty of padding. I’ve seen how meticulous you are in the armoury. Everything is packed away in it’s own little space. All nice, tidy, and organised”.

Jaal is perturbed by Ryder’s subtlety. She’s less direct than an Angara would be. He finds her ability to play with words, to hint at but not address the issue – devious. He doesn’t like it one bit. And if humans are this sly, Jaal wonders if he has underestimated Ryder.

Has she been true at all in her dealings with him and Evfra?

Vetra catches on quick. Jaal is relieved when she doesn’t take the bait. Ryder is akin to a hunter lying in wait for her prey. Vetra is too smart, skirting the edge of the trap before she can fall into the pit. The moment she does - she's done for.

“Spirits”, she curses. “Ryder. Tell me you haven’t broken anything. We need those supplies. It’s not like the Nexus is rolling in resources”.

Jaal’s nose wrinkles in distaste when Ryder winks. “Not yet. If you keep your mandibles out of my business. I’ll make sure there aren’t any biotic accidents in your corner of the ship. Am I coming across strong and clear?”

Jaal is surprised by Ryder’s use of an angaran idiom. He believes he understands her intent, though he isn’t sure if she meant it. Angara are candid about their feelings. He wonders if humans are the same. He gulps, when Ryder snaps her fingers.

A spark of blue-fire sets the tip of her thumb alight. The biotic flame shimmers, wavering as if it were being fanned by the wind. Jaal knows the only air in the ship is cycled through the vents, it’s cold and refreshing but hardly a breeze. Ryder is showing off. Jaal comprehends why the moment Vetra's mandibles droop in weary resignation.

“Yeah. We’re clear, Pathfinder”.

“Good”, declares Ryder. “I’m glad we understand each other”.

Peebee whistles in appreciation. “Wow. You don’t pull your punches”.

Ryder’s voice drops an octave. And like a dewdrop into a bucket of ice – winter comes early. Jaal is fascinated when that tiny biotic flame swells in size and shape. He stares when Ryder cradles a swirling blue vortex it in the palm of her hand. Jaal thinks Peebee might be in trouble when Ryder glares at her, eyes narrowing.

“I’ve always wanted to see if I could make my singularities explode. Wanna be my test pilot?”

Peebee’s anxious giggle says it all. “Ah. No thanks. I’m good”.

Ryder’s lips peel back to expose her teeth. She resembles a snarling ahdi, fangs bared. Jaal doesn’t doubt she’d be growling if she could. Ryder flashes that threatening grin at the rest of the crew. Her tone is frigid as she gives them due warning.

“I love you guys. I do, but the next person that alludes to what happened in the Medbay”. Ryder waggles her eyebrows for emphasis. “Will find out how hard it is to dodge an exploding singularity at close range”. The vortex expands as Ryder flares her biotics.

Her forearm is engulfed in crackling biotic-blue.

The control she exerts impresses Jaal.

“So”, taunts Ryder. “Any takers?”

Liam, Cora, and Peebee exchange worried looks. Vetra shakes her head, while Drack snorts. He’s amused by Ryder’s posturing. Jaal hears the pride in his voice. Ryder’s finally showing her teeth.

“That’s my girl. Krogan to the core. You tell ‘em to mind their own damned business”.

“That goes for you too”, insists Ryder. “I want you to stop gossiping with Lexi”.

“Don’t get your quad in a knot”, teases Drack. “My ru’shan told me to keep you safe. And Lexi patches you up after every fight. We’ve got a right to be concerned about you. Remember, you’re the only Pathfinder we’ve got. If you die, the rest of us are screwed”.

Jaal is surprised when Ryder doesn’t argue. She accepts Drack’s judgement with a nod, though she still whines about it. “All right, fine. I wouldn’t want you to disappoint Kesh. And you make an excellent point, it’s not like we have spare Pathfinders”.

Ryder doesn’t quite see eye-to-eye with him on one thing though. “A knotted Krogan quad. Geeze, old man. I didn’t need that mental image seared into my brain! Have you even read Lexi’s thesis on Krogan mating habits? It comes with annotated diagrams!”

Drack snickered. “Didn’t need too. That’s been my life, Ryder”.

Jaal is unsurprised when Ryder forgives the old Krogan. Her smile is fond. “I know, but it’s been a good life. Right?”

“Yeah”, agrees Drack. “It has”.

Ryder nods. “Thought so”. Her mood improves though she still lays down the law.

“Okay, listen up. My private life and Jaal’s are off the table. Period. This debrief is about the mission and only the mission. Got it?”

There are murmurs of agreement around the Meeting room. Liam grimaces at the thought of knotting Krogan quads. Peebee exhales a sigh of relief. Vetra’s eyes roll in exasperation. Cora reddens when Ryder zeros-in on her embarrassment.

“You been dreaming about Krogan quads, Harper?”

Drack guffaws.

Poor Jaal is confused by her teasing, the Milky Way metaphor going over his head.

Cora bristles. “No! Stop looking at me like that, Liam!”

“What? I ain’t judging. If it floats your boat”.

“Shut up! My boat is not floating down lover’s lane with any Krogan’s quad!”

Peebee wolf-whistles. “You know what? That explains so much. I mean, you’re uptight, moody, and pigheaded like a Krogan”. She smiles, winks, and gestures to Ryder’s glowing biotic-blue hand.

“Honey, you can put away that swirling vortex of death”. Peebee flaps her hand at Cora. “You’ve given me more than enough ammo for the next week. I’m gonna have a ball trying to find out if Cora has a boyfriend. I mean with that personality, she could only be dating a Krogan”.

Jaal is reminded of his brothers when they bicker. Peebee is as bold as Baranj. Her cheek would’ve earned her a punch in the face on Havarl. Jaal smiles when Cora barks. She has a sharp-tongue like Lathoul.

“Bitch!”

Peebee smirks. “It takes one to know one”.

Cora shakes a warning finger. “Keep going. And I’ll put you on your ass!”

Drack’s chortling when Liam intervenes.

“Ladies. Calm down”.

He’s taken aback when Cora rounds on him like a rabid varren.

“Hey! Mind your own damned business!”

“Yeah!” seconds Peebee. “Did we ask for your opinion? No! But out, buster!”

Liam raises his hands to pacify them. “And I am but-ting out. Duly noted. Yup. Sorry”.

“You should be sorry!” gripes Cora. She gestures to herself and Peebee. “Just because we’ve got boobs, doesn’t mean we can’t be civilised! This is an argument not a cat-fight! You’ve been reading way too many of those Fornax comics!”

Liam blushes. “Hey! For your information! Fornax is about more than sex!”

Peebee nods. “It is not! You tell him, Cora! Why do guy always assume the worst? We’re arguing, sure. But I’m not tearing out your hair, and you’re not scratching out my eyes”.

Cora huffs. “I know. Right?” She shakes her head. “We don’t always get along, but we’re still a team. We know what’s important”.

“Damn straight”.

Jaal laughs when they bump fists.

Ryder groans. She’s getting impatient. “Come on everyone! Can we all just please try too – just listen up!”

Drack snorts at her attempt to corral the girls. “Begging. Interesting strategy”.

“I’m trying to get them to focus on what’s important”.

“Sure, you are”.

The meeting continues. The discussion shifts to the vault on Aya. Ryder scowls when Cora complains about their lack of progress. Jaal’s sure the accusatory tone is borderline insubordination. He’s impressed when Ryder keeps control of her temper. Evfra wouldn’t have condoned Cora’s attitude.

Ryder is more diplomatic, though Jaal doubts her patience is infinite.

Cora is quiet when Ryder mentions his name.

“Jaal has offered to do what he can to help us access the vault on Aya”.

Vetra steam-rolls over her with a flanging growl.

“How do we do that when we’re leaving the planet it’s on?”

Ryder concedes, frowning. “That’s a fair point”, she states through gritted teeth. “Jaal?”

“Seriously?” grumbles Cora. “You’re letting him lead this conversation? We’re not even sure he’s an ally, Ryder”.

“We need to give him that chance”.

Cora sniffs. “Of course we do, 'cause it makes so much sense. Jaal is going to do what's best for his people not ours. You need to start doing what's right or us, Ryder. Or are you not our Pathfinder?"

The flow of conversation is turning negative, when Liam slams his palm on the console table. The resonant bang draws every eye on the room. Cora huffs, but keeps the peace. Vetra quietens enough to listen. Peebee shrugs, but pays attention.

Drack nods in approval when Liam tells them off.

“Girls! Settle down! Ryder’s right! There’s an Angara right here! Let’s hear what the new guy has to say!”

The silence is unnerving. Jaal knows the moment their attention shifts from Liam to him. All heads turn in his direction. He hears the impatient drumming of Cora’s fingers on the table. Jaal rolls to his feet with an easy feline grace.

He feels less awkward at Ryder’s encouraging nod. She knows the gist of the story. Jaal had filled her in during their trip to the docks on Aya. He know she hasn’t had time to share the details with her crewmates. This debrief is meant to get everyone aboard the Tempest up-to-date.

Jaal steps forward, head high.

“One day, about eighty years ago. The Archon and the Kett arrived in Heleus, and the horror began”.

“They declared war?” asks Vetra.

Jaal is unimpressed by her assumption. “It was nothing so easy to define. Or fight”.

Ryder is quick to explain. “The Kett kidnap Angara. Their people disappear without a trace”. Jaal is humbled when she eyes Vetra. Her voice is scathing. “What if that were us?”

“Spirits”, gasps Vetra. “No wonder the Angara were wary when we landed on Aya”.

“Now you understand our caution”, confirms Jaal. “My people have been at war for decades. Your presence in Heleus was seen as a potential threat. It might still be, if things turn sour between our people. That is why, I am aboard the Tempest”.

Vetra nods, mandibles fluttering. “My guess. I say you’re assessing us on behalf of the Resistance”.

“I am”.

Ryder sighs when Drack tramples her hopes with the finesse of a rampaging Klixxen.

“Sure, I get it. We’ve got no reason to trust each other. I’ll fight Kett all day until we can, but that’s no plan. I say we make our own assessments of the enemy”. Jaal tenses when the old Krogan appraises him. He knows he’s being judged when Drack makes a statement. “Whether they be your people or the Kett”.

Ryder is infuriated by his presumptuousness. “That’s not what we’re doing here!”

“Don’t be naive”, counters Drack as he points a clawed finger at Jaal. “This pyjack is spying on us for Evfra. You know he’s going to report back everything he sees and does. That’ll include his impressions of us – our strengths, and our weaknesses. We should be doing the same while he’s here”.

“Drack!”

Jaal nods when Ryder glances his way. “It’s my duty”.

“Told you so. We’ve go duties too, Pathfinder”.

Peebee seconds the old Krogan’s opinion. “I agree. We’re at a disadvantage here, Ryder. We need to get into that vault. The sooner, the better”.

Jaal is wary of Cora’s camaraderie. She seems to be cooperative when it suits her. He wonders if there might be bad blood between her and Ryder. Cora seems to take issue with Ryder's position as Pathfinder. Her dissatisfaction is obvious in the way she champions any opinion but Ryder's.

“Surprisingly”, she says. “I’m with Peebee on this one. Our own mission has to take priority”.

Ryder’s lip curls in frustration. Jaal senses she wants disagree, to argue the point. He wonders how she’s maintaining that air of professionalism. Her patience is being tested, as is her capability as Pathfinder. The crew are questioning everything, including her decisions and beliefs.

“We have a plan – kind of”, hedges Ryder. “It’s pretty solid. Jaal?”

Jaal takes his cue, stepping into place beside Ryder. He joins the crew around the console table. He shares his orders from Evfra, though he leaves out anything that’s classified. Ryder and her people aren’t yet allies. Jaal knows to be cautious.

This is as much a test for them as it is for him.

“The Resistance is stretched thin. I was tasked with travelling to two of our worlds at our briefing this morning”. He hears Ryder suck in a shaky breath, when he turns to her. This isn’t what she’d been expecting. “And you’ll accompany me”.

Liam is less enthusiastic about this arrangement. “Because?”

Jaal rounds on him. “Because Evfra will see you as trustworthy. You want that”.

“Why?”

They glare at one another in tense silence.

Ryder breaks the stalemate with a gruff revelation. “Liam, knock it off. Jaal’s right. We need to get on Evfra’s good side, or we’re dead in the water”. She raises a hand to silence his protests. “I met Evfra and he is not someone with whom to fuck”.

Jaal is amused by her colourful description of Evfra. He makes a mental note to write that down in his report, Evfra is sure to find it interesting. Ryder respects the stern leader of the Resistance. Jaal knows that he’ll laugh in private, while he writes his report. For now, he listens when Ryder elaborates.

“Evfra is a Pathfinder like my Dad. Like me. And he’s an old soldier too – maybe even on par with my Dad as an N7”. Ryder glares when Cora opens her mouth to contest the issue. “Evfra built the Resistance from nothing. And he’s kept the Angara alive for decades”.

Jaal is intrigued when she stares Cora down.

“Evfra has decades of experience fighting the Kett. He’s an invaluable resource. I won’t cross him if I don’t have too”, avows Ryder. “We’re in Heleus to build bridges not burn them. An alliance with the Angara is our best hope of ensuring our own success. Evfra needs us, and we need him”.

“Ryder”, calls Cora.

“Save it”, finishes Ryder. “You’ve said enough”.

Jaal watches her turn to the Meeting room’s central console. She taps the keys of the nearest workstation. A holographic map of two planets materialises in the air. This is the data Evfra authorised him to share. Jaal takes point when Ryder clues-in her team.

“Jaal’s told me about these two worlds – Havarl and Voeld”.

“Before the Scourge disaster”, explains Jaal. “Voeld was a thriving planet of billions, a shining centre of technology and life”.

“And now?” prompts Vetra.

“It’s the centre of our ground war against the Kett. Our Resistance base is fighting Kett Command for control of the planet”.

“That’s rough”.

“Very”, agrees Jaal.

Cora finds her courage again. She’s nervous when she asks about the second planet. “And the other?”

Jaal notes how she keeps a constant eye on Ryder. He answers her query with a brevity that borders on uninformative. He doesn’t mention cities, towns, or settlements. His description of his homeworld is concise, clinical. Like Evfra, he has little reason to trust Ryder and her people.

“Havarl is the birthplace of the Angara. It’s started to degrade, to become wild and dangerous. We suspect Remnant”.

Peebee is enthused by that last morsel of information. She smiles. “Now we’re talking. So”, she says as she rubs her hands together with an eagerness Jaal thinks unwise. “What do we do to get on your good side?”

Jaal looks to Ryder for permission to proceed. At her nod of ascent he explains.

“We’ve recently lost contact with our scientists”.

Drack interrupts with an impatient huff. “Still don’t see how any of this helps us”.

The exasperated roll of Ryder’s eyes, clues Jaal in to her mood. She’s irritated by the old Krogan’s stubbornness, though she doesn’t reprimand him. Jaal realises how much Ryder respects Drack. A hasty nod reveals her impatience, but she still listens to him grumble. She’s less civil when Cora tests the waters.

“I do. Jaal’s saying – Help us, or rather – Help me, and I’ll vouch for you. Right?” Cora continues when Jaal nods. “Thought so. ‘Cause he wants inside Aya’s vault too”.

Jaal is unsurprised when Drack puts Ryder on the spot.

“I don't like it. The pyjack is too damned vague for one thing, but it's not up to me. This decision goes above my pay-grade. Pathfinder. It’s your call”.

Jaal studies Ryder’s face and sees her frown. She doesn’t like being taken by surprise, though she’s quick to adapt. Jaal is impressed when she responds favourably.

“Okay. Yes. I appreciate the vote of confidence”.

Cora disagrees. Her remark is snide.

“Maybe more like optimism. As for confidence? You’ll get there – eventually”.

Jaal sees the moment, the tether of Ryder’s patience snaps. Her expression changes from cool indifference to outrage. Her brows furrow, her eyes turn flinty, and the line of her jaw tenses. Her lips peel back from her teeth in a snarl. Ryder has lost her composure when she turns on Cora.

“ _Enough_!”

Jaal is reminded of Evfra when she puts Cora in her place.

“My father made me Pathfinder not you! You follow my orders when you’re aboard my ship! If that’s not good enough for you! Then you can get the fuck off the Tempest the next time we dock at the Nexus! How strong and fucking clear is that for you?”

Cora swallows her pride with difficulty. She grimaces at the bitter taste of her own medicine. Jaal sees Drack shake his head in disapproval. Peebee’s mouth hangs open in dumbstruck disbelief. Vetra gapes, eyes wide – incredulous. Liam is as horrified as Peebee, though he expresses that shock in words.

“Shit, Harper. You know the Pathfinder calls the shots”.

Ryder reiterates her command. “Are we clear, Cora?”

Jaal is relieved when Cora nods.

“Yeah”, she replies, voice small. “We’re clear, Pathfinder”.

“Good”, concludes Ryder. “Jaal, give Kallo the navpoints for both planets. Let’s do this”.

Jaal nods. “At once, Pathfinder”.

He watches the team file out of the Meeting room, one after the other. Cora is the first to retreat, though she doesn’t turn tail and run. She maintains her dignity, head high, shoulders back if stiff. Vetra follows Cora, though she hangs back as not to crowd her. Drack goes last, muttering to himself about stupid, stubborn-ass humans.

Jaal hears Peebee hiss a warning when Liam approaches Ryder.

“Are you crazy? Ryder handed Cora her own ass on a silver platter! She’s not in the mood to chat!”

“I wanted to go over the mission again!” whines Liam.

“Later!”

“But!”

Peebee ushers him away. “I said – Later! Now get going!” The asari waves them both goodbye with a wink and a winsome smile. She’s upbeat despite Cora’s shock dismissal. Jaal senses that it was more than a threat. Ryder meant what she’d said.

Jaal airs his concerns once they’re alone.

“Was that wise?”

Ryder exhales wearily, eyes closing. She is quiet for a handful of moments as she contemplates what happened. She doesn’t respond immediately, so Jaal waits until she's ready. Minutes pass as Ryder takes several deep fortifying breaths. Jaal sees her fingers curl into the the bed of her palms, forming two tight fists.

Her hands shake as she grits her teeth. Her brows furrow, eyelids scrunching. She’s outraged. Jaal knows how angry she is when her eyes open. Her irises glow with a familiar eerie-blue fire. Ryder is barely holding in her fury.

“ _Fuck_! _Fuck_! _Fuck_!” she swears. “No! It wasn’t wise! But Cora’s been riding the edge since my father died! She was his lieutenant! He trained her to replace him, but she didn’t! And I did!”

“She’s never forgiven me for it!” explains Ryder. “ _Fuck_! I shouldn’t have lost my temper with her! Damn it! But she always pushing my fucking buttons! Bitch!”

She flings out a glowing biotic-blue arm. Jaal gasps when a cup on the console table flies across the room. He flinches when it smashes into one of the Meeting Room’s broad windows. He’s relieved it doesn’t break, though the pungent liquid dribbling down the glass isn’t reassuring. Jaal is pleased despite Ryder’s emotional outbursts.

He knows that this time she was honest about her feelings.

“Ryder”, he calls. “Will you be all right?”

Jaal is astonished when she apologises to him.

“Yeah. I need a few hours to cool off, that's all. Look, I’m sorry you had to see that. I know it was unprofessional”. Ryder rubs an anxious hand through her hair. “Dad would be so ashamed of me. The Pathfinder losing her shit in front of a potential ally. I doubt Evfra will be impressed”.

Jaal is quick to allay her fears. “I won’t tell him”.

Ryder is flabbergasted. “You what?”

“I won’t tell him”.

And like that, the biotic-blue glow fades from her eyes. Ryder gapes at him, stunned.

“You have to report to Evfra”.

Jaal shrugs. “I don’t have to tell him everything that happens aboard your ship”.

Ryder’s candour humbles him. “No. I don’t want you to lie for me, Jaal”.

“Ryder”.

“No”, she reiterates. “I expect you to tell Evfra the truth. The whole truth, even the ugly bits”.

“If I tell Evfra what happened today”, cautions Jaal. “He may never trust you”.

He is awed when she smiles. “I’ll take the risk. Evfra is a good man, Jaal. So are you. I want to earn your trust for the right reasons, the right way. You both deserve to be respected. I’ll make sure my team and I remember that”.

“Thank you, Ryder”.

Jaal’s heart flutters against his ribs when when she smiles.

“No”, she tells him. “Thank you for giving me this chance. I won’t waste it, Jaal. And I’ll prove to you, and to Evfra – that my people and I are worthy of it”.


	11. Interlude - Resonance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaal discovers why he and Ryder are so bioelectrically compatible. Ryder doesn't share his enthusiasm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally cast away this idea and posted it as a separate fic. Changed my mind. Did some alterations, and I'm adding it to PofY. It actually fits the explanation for Ryder and Jaal hitting it off. Go figure.

Jaal walks out of the Medbay with a head full of new facts. Lexi had foregone giving him shots, but she had taken a full-body scan. It’d been like going to an Angara doctor. Lexi had been professional even if her accent was stranger than the blue of her skin. Jaal knows Ryder found the entire experience more uncomfortable than he did.

He smiles when he sees her face. Ryder’s cheeks are red. She’s flustered enough to avoid looking him in the eye. She tucks strands of hair behind an ear, a nervous habit. Jaal knows she’s trying to put off talking to him for as long as possible. He finds it bizarre that she’s squeamish about her own biology.

Lexi had confirmed one thing for him.

Humans are prudes.

“Ah”, says Jaal as he tries to be subtle. “You’re blushing again”.

Ryder lies – badly. “I’m not blushing”.

“Your face is red”.

“So?”

“You’re embarrassed”.

Ryder huffs. “You being observant or a smartass?”

“Can a person not be observant, smart, and an ass?” asks Jaal. His comment has the desired effect. Ryder giggles.

“All right. You win. I’m blushing, because I’m embarrassed. Now stop teasing me about it”.

“I will if you tell me why you’re embarrassed”.

“I’d rather not”.

“Ryder”.

“Stop pouting, Jaal”.

And like always, Ryder gets nervous when it comes to her feelings. She tries to go around the issue instead of addressing it. Jaal finds her reluctance to share her thoughts with him, upsetting. She reminds him of Evfra. She closes herself off behind a wall of steel to hide the hurt underneath.

Jaal listens to Ryder whine with a heavy heart. She doesn’t know the reason for his melancholy. Angara are social by-nature. Humans seem to be too, although he can tell that Ryder remains emotionally distant. Jaal thinks it might for more than her rank as Pathfinder.

Perhaps like Evfra, she has secrets she prefers not to share.

His melancholy abates when Ryder grumbles. Jaal is relieved that she’s at least more talkative than Evfra.

“Being Pathfinder sucks ass! Why do I always get stuck with the awkward fucking conversations? Dad never said this shit was in the job description”.

Even if she’s a ball of anxiety when it comes to her emotions, at least Ryder doesn’t blow him off.

“You know why, I’m embarrassed”, she states with a faint hope that Jaal will drop the issue. “So, I’m hoping we can leave it there, and forget we even had this conversation”.

That hope is dashed when Jaal counters with a stern correction. Negotiating with Evfra has given him a stubborn-streak a mild wide. He refuses to give-up or give-in without a fight. Ryder is a puzzle he wants to figure out. He can’t do that if she keeps him at arm’s length.

“I don’t know why. I would rather remember this conversation. It’s important”.

Jaal reflects on his time with Suvi. If humans are emotionally constipated than Ryder won’t be honest about her feelings. Jaal decides to take the plunge. His reply is candid enough to make Ryder bristle.

“I wouldn’t ask for clarification if I knew to what you were referring”.

“Damn it!” she complains. “You’re worse than Lexi! All pointy questions and nosiness!” She glares at Jaal, lip curling in exasperation. “If you weren’t so ignorant about human culture. I’d punch you”.

Jaal smiles. “That would be a very angaran thing to do”. He pauses for a moment, expecting Ryder to continue arguing. Her silence speaks volumes about how she feels. She doesn’t say a word until Jaal prompts her too.

“So? Why were you embarrassed while I was talking with Lexi?”

Ryder takes the bait. It’s nice to know that she’s easy to piss off. Jaal mentally adds a one to the scoreboard between them. He’s sure he’s in the lead, not that Ryder would agree. She’d be too proud to admit that he has the home-field advantage.

Heleus is his home and she’s a visitor like the Kett.

“What do you mean. So?” growls Ryder. “You were asking Lexi about human anatomy! Then you wanted to know about our similarities to the Asari! It was weird. Okay? I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life! It doesn’t help that you’re a guy!”

Jaal frowns. “What does my gender have to do with asking about your anatomy?” He gestures to her chest and crotch with a wave of his hand. He steps back when Ryder squeals in outrage. She takes a swing at him, the slap goes wide missing him by a mile.

“I told you not to do that!” yells Ryder. She gesticulates, hand flapping back and forth between them. “How would you like it if I pointed at your crotch? Huh?” She points a finger southward, making Jaal hiss.

“Don’t do that!”

She stops in her tracks, cheeks pink, and eyes wide. “Well you did it to me! How’d you like the taste of your own medicine? Huh? You big blue, pyjack!”

“Don’t do that! And don’t call me a pyjack! It sounds like some kind of rodent!” gripes Jaal. He glowers at the forefinger of her right hand aimed at his crotch. He steps forward taking her hand in his when Ryder gapes in bewilderment. Jaal puts gentle pressure on her knuckles. He relents once her fingers curl into her the palm of her hand.

“You shouldn’t point like that at an Angara”, he tells her.

“Oh, yeah?” snarls Ryder. “Why not?”

“Among my people it would be seen as an invitation”.

“An invitation to what?” asks Ryder with great trepidation. “Wait a minute. You’re not talking about, what I think you’re talking about. Right? Please don’t let that be a confirmation”.

She’s nervous again, much to Jaal’s amusement. “What do you think I meant, Ryder?”

Her cheeks turn purple. She grimaces as she says one horrible word as if she might be offended by it.

“Sex”.

“Is that all you think about?”

“No!”

“You’re blushing again”.

“Shut up!”

Jaal takes pity on her. “Ah, mating. Yes. That’s what I meant. You establish an interest in another Angara by doing this”. He extends a thick finger, pointing at her belly. Ryder snorts when Jaal turns his hand over, exposing the gloved palm of his hand. A flick of his finger in a beckoning gesture makes her snicker.

“By doing that you confirm it”. Jaal is annoyed by her mirth. “Ryder! This isn’t something to laugh about! I’m being serious!”

She cackles for a few minutes more.

“That’s hilarious! Holy shit!”

She chokes on her own spit and almost coughs up her lungs.

Jaal grimaces, patting her on the back as she gags, cries, and giggles. The tears are streaming down her cheeks until she finally regains her composure. She grins from ear to ear as she wipes her eyes. Jaal finds her amusement annoying until Ryder explains. He stares at her in amazement.

“Your people have a – Come hither – gesture too?” he asks, flabbergasted.

“Yeah”, confirms Ryder. “It’s the same thing too”.

She extends a forefinger and points at him before turning her hand over. Jaal swallows when Ryder arches an eyebrow. He watches the plump curve of her lower-lip as her eyes glint. She’s smirking when that same finger beckons him. It takes a second for Jaal’s brain to fall into his pants.

He’s dazed while she chatters. Jaal can’t quite believe he’s been propositioned by an alien. He listens with half-an-ear to Ryder’s animated explanations. He’s moving on instinct, bioelectrics thrumming. Jaal freezes when Ryder barks.

“Hey! What’re you doing?”

A hard push at his chest alarms Jaal. He blinks, startled, when he finds Ryder pressed against him. He thinks she might’ve been toying with him until she smacks his arm. Jaal looks to his right, spotting the problem. He blushes, cheeks violet when he realises that he’s close to wrapping himself around her like a roffjinn.

“Oh! No! No! No! No! No! No!” cries Ryder. “Don’t you dare use your bioelectrics on me! Oh-Oh-Oooh! Fuck!”

She moans his name and Jaal is lost. A warm, wet mouth meets his own. Soft calloused hands explore the folds of his neck. Slender fingers with blunt nails dig into shoulders. Ryder bathes him in blue light as they kiss like two desert-starved wanderers.

Jaal drinks her down like water.

Ryder is fast soaking him in too.

It takes the Medbay door whooshing open to bring them back to reality. Ryder baulks when Lexi clears her throat, biotics stuttering. She’s been caught making out with her boyfriend like a naughty Asari maiden. Ryder swears, while Jaal is more pragmatic. He sees nothing wrong in what they’re doing.

“Yes?” he asks Lexi, calm as can be. “Do you need something?”

He doesn’t care that Ryder is in his arms again, red-faced, and mortified.

Lexi gives them a helpful suggestion. “You two need to talk about boundaries”. She steps aside, gesturing to the empty Medbay. “I’ll be taking a break for the next hour. You’ve given me plenty to think about, Jaal”.

She addresses Ryder with a sternness that belies the twinkle in her eye. “I’ve got enough to get started on SAM’s project. Don’t worry. I’ll make certain that you’re prepared if that happens. Try not to melt any more light fittings, Ryder. We only have so many spares. The parts for my medical equipment can only be fabricated with the proper raw materials”.

Lexi leaves with a wink and a smile before Jaal can ask about SAM’s project.

“Is she gone?” whispers Ryder, when Lexi is out of earshot.

A second door whooshes open that leads into the aft of the ship. Lexi walks through it without looking back. Jaal nods when it closes behind her with a soft click. Ryder groans, forehead falling against his chest. She mumbles into his roffjinn about nosy asari doctors and their shitty timing.

Jaal doesn't hears a word she says, preoccupied as he is about Lexi’s advice. “We should take advantage of Lexi’s hospitality”. He nods to the empty Medbay. He knows his arms are still wrapped around Ryder’s waist. His hands are still on her hips too, his fused fingers gripping tight.

“We do have a great many things to discuss”.

Ryder raises her head until he can see her face. She’s beet-red from forehead to chin, even her neck is flushed. “Okay”, she agrees, although that statement comes with a condition. “But you can’t ask about SAM’s project”.

Jaal is intrigued. “Does it have anything to do with what I discussed with Lexi?”

“No!” lies Ryder.

“You sure?”

Jaal is suspicious the moment she blurts an affirmative. “Yes!”

“I can tell you’re lying”.

It takes Ryder a second to capitulate. “Fine. You win again. Congratulations. I’m bullshitting. Now, be a gentleman. And let me go. I need space after that shitshow. Fuck, Lexi must think I’m some kind of hussy”.

Jaal releases her with great reluctance. He takes a step back, pouting.

“Don’t look at me like that!” growls Ryder.

“Like what?”

“Like you’re disappointed!”

His smile is soft and sad. “I am. You’re beautiful. I had you in my arms, now I don’t. How could I not be disappointed?”

Ryder gapes at him. “You’re serious”.

Jaal is confused by her surprise. “Of course, I am”.

She curses, head shaking. “Fuck”. She gestures between them again, though she makes certain not to point at him. Misunderstandings were already abound. Ryder doesn’t want to make it worse.

“This thing between us is getting way too complicated, way too fast. It shouldn’t be this comfortable or this familiar. We’re more than complete strangers, Jaal. We’re alien to each other. I have more in common with Lexi than I do with you”.

Her declaration, while true still irks him. “That’s fair. We are from different galaxies. We’re different species too”, agrees Jaal. “I still don’t understand why it’s so terrible for us to share an attraction”.

Ryder sees the tension in the line of his shoulders, the clenching of his jaw. “Why?”

Jaal takes a shaky breath. “What we share is part of something extraordinary”. He reflects on the brevity of their time together. Much has changed between them since that first meeting on Aya. Jaal has a bewildering idea why.

“Well that’s vague”, gripes Ryder. “Try to explain for the alien. Okay? I’m running blind here”.

“It’s complicated”.

“Of course it is”.

Jaal doesn’t like her attitude. “Ryder!”

“Tell me!”

“I can’t put it into words!” he snaps. “Not in a way you’d understand!”

“Try”.

“It’s not that easy to explain! But there is a way, I can be sure about what’s happening between us”.

The phenomenon is rare among Jaal’s people, but it’s unheard of with an alien. There’s only one way to be certain about what he thinks is going on.

Ryder is sceptical. “How?”

Jaal knows she won’t like his answer. “I need to touch you again”.

“What? No!”

“It’s important!”

“I don’t care! You know what happens when you zap me!”

“It’s the only way, I can explain!” argues Jaal. “It would be simple if you were Angara!”

“Well, I’m not!”

“I know that! Now, come here!”

“No!”

He makes a hasty grab for her. Ryder skitters away from him like a spider, legs pumping, and arms swinging. Jaal huffs and tries again, fused fingers closing on air when she ducks into the Medbay. Jaal’s frustration shows as he stomps inside after her. Ryder feints left, ducking behind one of the beds.

Jaal goes right, swiping at air again. He misses her by inches. He slams his hands down onto the bed between them, eyes narrowing. He doesn’t like that she’s playing hard to get. They’ve shared too much already to be strangers.

“Stop running away from me!”

“If you’d stop chasing me!” snaps Ryder. “I wouldn’t be running away from you!”

Jaal snickers.

“It’s not funny!”

Neither of them notice that the door to the Medbay closes and locks. Thanks to SAM, the holographic keypad is fire-engine red. The AI is giving them some much needed privacy. The walls of the Medbay, like the Pathfinder’s quarters are soundproofed. Jaal and Ryder continue their argument in ignorance of SAM’s forethought.

“Ryder”, coaxes Jaal. “After what happened a few hours ago. The entire crew know we like each other. It’s not a bad thing. I know our people are still at odds, but that doesn’t mean we have to be”.

Ryder isn’t inclined to agree with him. “You said we needed to stay professional! But you kissed me! Again! Right in front of Lexi!”

“You kissed me back”, counters Jaal. “You could have pushed me away. You didn’t”.

“That doesn’t mean shit!”

“A lie”.

“Shut up!”

“I won’t”, presses Jaal. “This is too important to ignore. Now give me your hand!”

“Are you gonna zap me again with your bioelectricity?”

“Yes”.

“What? No!” gripes Ryder. She glowers at him – furious. “You zapped me twice before! You know what that does to my biotics! It felt like I was on-fire!”

That piques Jaal’s interest. “In what way?”

“Not a fucking chance! I’m not falling for that again! We’re not having this conversation!” Ryder stands her ground. “Back off! Now!”

Jaal denies her with a firm - “No”.

Ryder bristles. “You’ve got five fucking seconds to get away from me. Or, I will plant your ass in the nearest bulkhead”.

He sniffs, unimpressed by her threat. “You said yourself that I’m not part of your crew until you say I am”. The nonchalant shrug of his shoulders infuriates Ryder. “So, until then. I don’t have to take orders from you”.

“That’s insubordination!”

“I’m not your lieutenant. I’m Evfra’s”.

“You ass!” snarls Ryder. “That’s it! I’m kicking you off my ship!

Jaal shakes his head. “You won’t”, he tells her, bold as brass. “You need me. I’m your contact with Evfra. If you send me back to Aya without completing my missions. You know what will happen”.

Ryder is outraged by his logic. “You smug blue, bastard!”

“I know, I am”, says Jaal. “Now Ryder. You like me, and I like you. Can we not be adults about this? I would rather have your cooperation than not”.

Jaal offers his hand in silent invitation. Ryder glances from him to his gloved fingers. She sucks in a breath when he wiggles them. Her unease makes Jaal wonder if he’s crossed another invisible line. Ryder’s reluctance will spell disaster for them both if she can’t stand to touch him.

“I promise”, implores Jaal. “I won’t hurt you”.

Ryder sniffs. “What if I hurt you? I told you. Biotics are dangerous”.

“I’ll take the risk”.

“Jaal!”

He tries to appeal to her. “I need to know if what we share is what I think it is! Ryder!” he begs. “Take my hand!”

She shakes her head and Jaal’s heart plummets to his feet. He thinks she’s refusing until she asks a question. He sucks in a breath, listening. Jaal sees the uncertainty in her eyes, the fear. She’s afraid, but she’s proud too.

Ryder lifts her head, shoulders rolling back as she stands tall. “Why should I take your hand?” she challenges. “You’re not telling me a damned thing. I’m in the dark here. Why the hell should I trust you?”

Jaal pauses, heart in his throat. He’d forgotten that they were mere acquaintances. Ryder might like him. Sure. She still doesn’t know him well enough for them to be friends. Jaal curses his angaran instincts. He’s driven to make a connection with her by something he can’t comprehend.

He wishes he had leverage. He doesn’t. Jaal does the only thing he can. He beseeches Ryder with sudden desperation. There is an edge in his voice, a soft whine as if he were begging her for something he can’t name.

“I need to know”.

Ryder stares at him, brows furrowed. “This is that important to you?”

Jaal nods in tense silence.

Ryder sniffs in disdain, nose wrinkling. “I don’t like this one bit. I want you to remember that”.

“Ryder. Please”.

“Shush. You’ve got my attention. Give me a minute to think about it”.

Jaal feels the tattered edge of his own frustration. His mission, Evfra, and his loyalty to the Resistance seem trivial compared to Ryder. She is his prime focus. He needs to understand what their attraction means. He’s running on instinct, nerves afire with the angaran equivalent of adrenaline.

Ryder exhales a shaky breath. Jaal can tell she’s conflicted, though he isn’t sure why. He waits for her to make a decision. It takes several long painful minutes of Ryder glancing between him and his gloved hands. Jaal exhales a sigh of relief when she nods.

“Okay. Let’s do this”.

“Ryder”, he coaxes. “It’s all right”. He leans across the bed, putting his weight on the mattress. “You don’t need to be afraid”. Jaal offers her his hand again, palm up with his fused fingers splayed.

She hesitates for a second, still unsure. Ryder gives him an ultimatum too.

“Once, I touch your hand. If we see sparks fly again. You’ve got to keep your lips to yourself. There’s no kissing me. Period”.

“You kissed me too!”

“That’s the deal, Jaal. Take it or leave it. Lexi said we needed to establish boundaries. She was right. I’ve seen you in your birthday suit. You’re not about to see me in mine”.

“What is a birthday suit?”

Ryder groans. “I saw you naked in the bathroom!”

“Oh. You mean after I took a shower”.

“Yes!”

“You humans have strange analogies. Did you not like what you saw?”

Ryder reddens. “You’re gorgeous! Okay!”

“I am?”

“Jaal!” she begs. “Stop making me think about your gorgeous naked blue-butt! We’re trying to have a conversation about boundaries! Stop interrupting me! Or I’ll walk out of the Medbay right now!”

He doesn’t want that. Jaal relents, scowling. “Fine”.

“Good! Now focus! Stop ogling my cleavage. You’re not getting your hands inside my shirt without taking me on a date first. Oh, and buying me dinner”.

He doesn’t like her presumptuousness. He knows he has a decent sense of self-control. He flushes violet when she arches an eyebrow. The expression on her face says otherwise. She’s calling him on his bullshit.

“Fine”, he agrees. If she wants to play hard-ball, he can too. “There will be no kissing or intimacy until we know each other better”.

“That wasn’t part of the deal!” blurts Ryder. She regrets it immediately. “Geeze! I can’t believe I said that out loud! I am a hussy!”

“It is now”, repeated Jaal. He offers her his hand again. “Take it or leave it”. He’s not willing to give her bone back either. This odd attraction between them is new and exciting.

Jaal wants to explore it further. He admires Ryder for standing up to him. She might lack self-confidence, but she’s plenty spirited. Jaal likes her feistiness. Ryder gives as good as she gets.

It’s an attractive trait in a potential mate.

“Ass”, growls Ryder. She doesn’t like his conditions. “Fine. You wanna play dirty. I can too”.

Ryder rolls her eyes in exasperation. Jaal hears her count backwards from five. She takes several fortifying breaths too, as if she’s preparing herself for a fight. Jaal is glad she’s more restrained than an Angara. He knows he would’ve been punched in the face for his boldness by now.

“I’m not gonna make this easy for you”, states Ryder. “You want to push me. I can push back”.

Jaal is relieved when Ryder takes his hand. He expects a gentle touch until she almost crushes his fingers. It’s like his bones are in a vice-grip that’s getting tighter. He looks into her eyes and sees that familiar biotic-blue sheen. She’s glowing like a star again, irises bright like a pair of suns.

“R-Ryder!” he stammers. “Th-that hurts!”

“I told you biotics were dangerous”.

Jaal scowls. So she wanted to play rough did she? He squeezes her knuckles hard too. Ryder groans but doesn’t let go. She’s grimacing when Jaal wraps his fused fingers around her wrist. He could break her hold, but he doesn’t.

He’s more interested in watching her squirm.

“An angara’s natural bioelectricity can be dangerous too”.

Jaal watches her face as he releases a stream of bioelectricity. Ryder bites her lips, biotics stuttering. He does it again, smirking when her hand trembles. The biotic-blue sheen of her eyes fades in and out like a light turned on and off. Ryder is struggling to maintain her composure.

She grits her teeth, redoubling her efforts. Jaal yelps when his bones creak under his skin. He can feel the strain in his knuckles. Ryder is doing a number on his self-control too. His braincells are scattering in all directions as she ramps up her biotics.

Seconds pass in what feels like an eternity. Jaal watches Ryder’s face, scrunched up in concentration. She’s beautiful in that moment, her eyes a vivid burning blue. Jaal sees her determination, her drive to win. He sends another pulse of bioelectricity through the tips of his fingers.

The pain disappears as Ryder gasps. And for a brief moment Jaal sees himself reflected in those radiant biotic-blue eyes. She shakes for a moment, her hand going slack. The shock sets in as something triggers deep inside Jaal. It’s euphoric, a sudden burst of startling profoundness that shocks as much as it pleases him.

He’s breathing hard now, nerves afire. It feels like he’s run a mile in a minute, heart hammering against his ribs. Ryder is shaken too. Her chest is heaving as she sucks in breath after breath. Her face is sweaty, and her cheeks are wet.

Jaal smiles when he sees her crying too. The battle of wit and will is over. That biotic-blue light fades from her eyes. She comes down from the high, quivering like a leaf in a gust of chill wind. Jaal still holds her hand, fingers gentle.

Ryder sucks in a shaky breath. She gulps, eyes turning watery again. She gives him a pleading look, lower-lip trembling. Jaal nods, smiles, and forgives her pigheadedness in a heartbeat. He keeps a hold of her hand as he moves around the bed.

Ryder’s breath hitches when Jaal squeezes her fingers in silent encouragement. He gives her space, not wanting to crowd her. This must be her decision, her choice. Jaal knows his future hinges on this moment. He hopes with all his heart, mind, and soul that Ryder will find him agreeable.

He opens his arms in silent invitation.

Ryder whimpers, cries, and steps forward. Jaal sighs in relief as he embraces her. The deep-rooted fear of rejection flutters away like a butterfly. Jaal smiles as he kisses her temple. Her acceptance makes his heart swell with emotion.

“Taoshay”, he whispers. “Thank you”.

Ryder buries her face in his throat, too overwhelmed to speak. Jaal rocks her as he would a distraught child. Ryder weeps into his chest. She doesn’t understand what’s happened, what this new wonderful thing means. She’s not Angara. Jaal has never been good with patience, but for her he will try.

No matter how long it takes. He will teach Ryder what it means to be bonded to an Angara. She is after all, the second half of his soul. Jaal knows he’ll have to keep this quiet. Evfra would never understand, never accept that Ryder is his resonant.

It’s rare among Angara. It’s unheard of with an alien. Somehow, some way, Ryder has managed to do the impossible. Jaal can feel the first tenuous threads of their bond. It’s thin like a spider’s web spun across a yawning chasm. The tendrils shimmer like a strings of light in the darkness.

“Beautiful”, murmurs Jaal. He comforts Ryder as she sobs. He knows it hurts. He can feel her anxiety, her fear leak across the bond. It hurts her to think that for the first time in her life, she’s not alone.

“Hush, Taoshay”, soothes Jaal. “All will be well. You will see. Hush”.

“It h-hurts”, stammers Ryder.

“I know”.

“W-What d-does it m-mean?”

Jaal knows the words, though he doubts Ryder will understand. She isn’t Angara. “What you felt. I did too. My people call it _Ushior_. A resonance of the soul, a bond shared between two people. Those that share _ushior_ have one soul. They are called _vaasa-nari_ ”.

Ryder tries the words out. Her accent is terrible as is her pronunciation. Jaal doesn’t mind. He’s overwhelmed by the realisation that he shares _ushior_ with an alien. Ryder is more than special.

She’s his _vaasa-nari_. His destined Taoshay.

Jaal is a little annoyed that she doesn’t share his enthusiasm. She recovers enough of her composure to stop stuttering. She’s not happy though, not by a longshot. Jaal can hear her frustration when she curses. His mood doesn’t improve when he sees her scowling too.

“I’m screwed”.

“Ryder”.

“Don’t chide me with that sexy voice of yours”.

“Ryder!”

“Quiet!” she barks. “Or I’ll strip you naked, throw you on a bed, and have my way wicked with you! I’m so turned on right now! I’m burning a hole in my panties!”

Jaal blushes violet. “Oh. I didn’t realise”.

“Yes! Oh!” growls Ryder as she yanks her hand back. “Now get out of my way! I need to go back to my quarters! And take an ice-cold shower!”

He steps aside with some reluctance.

“Move it!”

He shuffles over enough to give her breathing space. Ryder glares at him hard enough to set him aflame. Jaal feels the scathing lash of her displeasure. He flinches when Ryder barks an order to SAM. She’s cocking back her fist to punch the Medbay door too.

“SAM! Open the fucking door!”

“At once, Pathfinder”.

“Thanks! Set course for Havarl! I want an ETA after my shower!”

“Of course”.

The Medbay doors unlock, the holo-pad turning a welcome green. The doors whoosh open before Ryder can put her fist through them.

She doesn’t look back once as she storms into the hallway. She marches out of sight fast enough to leave Jaal grimacing. His sense of elation ebbs when he finds himself alone inside the Medbay. He can’t stop thinking about Ryder taking a shower by herself without him for comfort. It’s worse than annoying.

It’s downright cruel.

“SAM”, calls Jaal. “Do you think Ryder would be opposed to company?”

“Yes”.

He sighs. “A pity”.

The Medbay doors close with a soft click as Jaal sinks down onto a bed. He’s feeling out of sorts too, although his hormones aren’t raging out of control. He feels drained, empty, and somewhat lonely without Ryder. There’s an ache inside him that wasn’t there this morning too. Jaal exhales a weary breath, shoulders sagging.

“I didn’t expect this to happen with her”, he admits to SAM. “You must believe me. I would’ve continued in ignorance if not for our earlier encounter in this room. She was so beautiful. Now she is everything I have ever wanted in a mate”.

“Does it hurt to be without Ryder?”

“Yes”, says Jaal.

“Even though she is aboard the same vessel”.

“It hurts”.

“How odd”, states SAM. “I have never heard of this phenomenon before. It is unique to Angara?”

“It is rare”.

“Describe it to me”.

“Why?” asks Jaal.

“Perhaps”, offers SAM. “I can help”.

“How?”

SAM doesn’t offer an explanation. “Please, Jaal. Right now. You need a friend. If talking about Ushior helps you cope without Ryder being here. I’m willing to listen”.

“You will keep this conversation in confidence?”

“Naturally”.

The Medbay doors glow red as SAM locks him inside. Jaal appreciates the need for privacy. “All right. Now where to begin. Oh. Yes”.


End file.
